The Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, in Taraba State, has strongly criticised Governor Agbu Kefas for his stance on the Ukwe Takum stool, warning it could plunge the state into chaos and undermine governance values.
In a press statement issued at the weekend in Jalingo, the PRP governorship candidate in the last general election, Wasa Wukari, lambasted the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for allegedly steering the state towards decline with what he termed “strange, unpopular, and self-serving policies.”
Wukari argued against the rotational system for traditional stools, stating that it sets a negative precedent and could deplete the state’s resources further.
He questioned the legitimacy of creating additional chiefdoms without clear domains and raised concerns about the financial implications.
Highlighting what he perceived as the state’s socio-economic decline under PDP leadership, Wukari accused Governor Agbu Kefas of exacerbating the situation inherited from the previous administration and called on the PDP leadership to intervene and prevent further deterioration of Taraba State’s socio-economic situation.
Wukari criticised Governor Kefas’ policy direction and alleged failure to unite the people but rather created further division along ethnic and religious lines.
He also expressed sadness at the state of the education sector in Taraba, stating: “Even in the education sector, which is the trump card of his administration, Governor Kefas has been messed up. Go to our public schools in the state and see what is happening. It’s a gory site. Schools are overpopulated, standards are compromised, facilities are overwhelmed, and the morale of staff keeps depleting with every day that passes by.
He further claimed: “With the so-called free education, pupils are cramped into classes, mostly in dilapidated infrastructure, without uniforms and furniture, without regard to health concerns or human dignity. The much-talked-about provision of uniforms and other learning facilities for pupils in primary and secondary schools has been hanging in the air, with no hope in sight that it will be redeemed any moment soon.”
In a swift reaction, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Digital Communication, Emmanuel Bello, said: “The assertions by the fake PRP that the forward-moving government of Governor Agbu Kefas is running Taraba State aground is so ridiculous that a response may even be seen as endorsing lunacy.”
He argued that the government is pulling the state out of years of misgovernance.
Governor Kefas, according to him, is getting accolades across the country for his feat in free education and his slashing of tuition fees at the tertiary level by 50 per cent.
“He (Gov Kefas) is a darling of the state for prompt payments of salaries, carrying everyone along, and ending sectional and primitive politics. He is loved by the youth for their inclusion in governance and by the old as he continues to integrate them and enhance the quality of life,” Bello said.