The political terrain in Taraba State was recently heated up following the decision of front-line governorship aspirant, David Sabo Kente to step aside from the 2027 governorship contest, a development that generated mixed reactions among his supporters and political observers across the state.
While many of his supporters expressed disappointment and confusion over the move, Kente and his loyalists insist the decision was not an act of weakness or political compromise, but one guided by broader considerations of peace, stability and political maturity.
In a statement signed by his media consultant, Ben Adaji, on Friday in Jalingo, the former governorship aspirant said this is the first time in his political career that he has voluntarily withdrawn from a governorship race despite years of persistence and repeated attempts to lead Taraba State.
The statement said Kente was not easily shaken in his past governorship aspirations, especially in 2015 when he contested to the last minute, despite political pressures and challenges.
The statement also took a look back at the political situations around the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship tickets in past election cycles. It recalled that in 2019, former Acting Governor, Sani Abubakar Danladi, was brought into the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and later emerged as the party’s candidate.
In like manner, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha was said to have secured the APC governorship ticket in 2023 after defecting from the PDP less than three months to the election.
These references to history, say observers, were meant to demonstrate Kente’s consistency and loyalty to the APC despite internal political realignments that repeatedly changed the party’s governorship calculations in Taraba State.
Adaji revealed that Kente’s decision to withdraw from the race followed persistent consultations and appeals from respected religious leaders, traditional elders and influential stakeholders both within and outside Taraba State.
He said the appeals were based on the need to maintain peace and political stability in the state and the region at large ahead of the 2027 elections.
Analysts say the development is a reflection of the increasing influence of consensus-building and stakeholder intervention in Nigeria’s internal party politics, especially in states where political tensions frequently escalate during party primaries.
The statement was also meant to counter claims circulating in some political quarters that Kente might have been offered some monetary inducement to drop out of the race.
“Kente has on several occasions announced that he has spent huge resources in this current attempt to get the ticket of the APC to be its flagbearer in Taraba State,” the statement said.
Those backing the businessman-turned-politician asserted that his long political history has always been motivated by a desire to give leadership and development to the people of Taraba and not for personal economic benefits.
The statement further highlighted Kente’s business background, arguing that the resources committed to the governorship project could have yielded significant returns if invested in the booming property sector in Abuja.
This is proof to his friends that his political aspirations were not for money but public service.
“Kente never conducted elections for personal economic benefits but to give leadership and development to Taraba people,” the statement added.
The politician was also quoted as saying: “God knows my heart and everyone has his opinion.
The decision was a strategic sacrifice for the greater good for some, but for others the withdrawal remains a painful setback after spending personal resources to buy nomination and expression of interest forms.
The statement, however, called for calm and understanding and told supporters that political opportunities would remain in the future.
“There’s always another time. “There may be some other opportunities as well,” the statement said.
Kente’s pullout is expected to recalibrate political calculations in the APC ahead of the 2027 governorship race in Taraba State.
His next move in the state’s next race and the alliances he might forge could go a long way toward determining the outcome of the contest, as he is one of the party’s most recognizable political figures in the state, analysts say.
But for now, Kente seems set on framing his decision as one born not of defeat, but of political conviction, consultation and what he says is the overriding interest of peace and stability in Taraba State.
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