Tashas Withdraws from APC Assembly Primaries, Cites Marginalisation and Lack of Fairness
By Yahaya Idris
The immediate past Executive Chairman of Toto Local Government Area, Hon. Aliyu Abdullahi Tashas, has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for the Toto/Gadabuke State Assembly seat, citing alleged insincerity among party leaders and the marginalisation of the Gade people.
Tashas announced his withdrawal on Tuesday shortly after attending a stakeholders’ meeting alongside four other aspirants at the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in Lafia.
The former council chairman accused some APC stakeholders and government officials in Toto Local Government of pursuing actions capable of weakening the ruling party through what he described as hypocrisy, selfishness and lack of fairness.
According to him, the decision to step down from the race became necessary after he and his supporters concluded that the political atmosphere was no longer accommodating.
He explained that the meeting at the SSG’s office focused on efforts to build consensus among the aspirants ahead of the party primaries.
Tashas stated that he insisted the Assembly ticket should be zoned to Gadabuke District in the interest of equity and justice, arguing that Toto District had dominated political offices in the constituency for decades.
“Toto District has occupied the Assembly seat for about 20 years, while Gadabuke District has only had four years. In the spirit of fairness, the ticket should be zoned to Gadabuke,” he said.
He further argued that using APC membership strength in Toto town alone to determine the party’s candidate might produce a flagbearer for the primaries but would not necessarily guarantee victory at the general election.
“You can use APC membership cards to determine who gets the ticket, but that cannot guarantee victory at the general election,” he added.
Tashas disclosed that despite several consultations and additional time granted to the aspirants, no consensus was reached at the meeting.
“I was among the five aspirants invited to the SSG’s office to build consensus. We were given time to resolve among ourselves and agree on one candidate, but we could not arrive at any agreement,” he stated.
He revealed that a committee comprising the Chairman of Toto Local Government, former Toto LG Chairman Zakari O. Sani, former Director-General of the Pension Board Usman Adams, Murtala Danmadami and other stakeholders was constituted to engage with the aspirants.
The former Special Adviser to the Governor also lamented what he described as the continued political marginalisation of the Gade people and Gadabuke District in the present political arrangement.
According to him, there was a need for balanced distribution of elective and appointive positions across the local government.
“My point at the meeting was that the Gade people are not adequately represented in this government. Toto District already has the SSG, the Executive Chairman, Permanent Secretaries and now the senatorial ticket,” he said.
Tashas criticised the assessment method adopted by the committee, describing it as inappropriate and lacking political depth.
“The committee ended up scoring aspirants like it was a football competition instead of asking each aspirant about their vision and plans for the people,” he added.
He maintained that even if he was not eventually considered for the ticket, justice demanded that the Assembly seat be ceded to Gadabuke District.
While formally announcing his withdrawal from the race, Tashas wished the remaining aspirants success in the APC primaries.
He also commended notable political figures from Toto District, including Shuaib Faisal, Arc. Abu Seze and Alhaji Musa Muhammed Maikaya, for supporting fairness and equitable distribution of political offices within the area.
“The Gade Nation will not forget those who stood for fairness and justice above partisan interests. Time will tell, because every good or bad deed has its reward,” he said.
Tashas further alleged that during the last APC local government executive formation, the Gade people were allocated only two positions out of more than 20 executive slots despite being one of the three major ethnic groups in Toto Local Government Area.
He noted that apart from councillorship positions and the recent appointment of an Administrator for Gadabuke, the Gade people currently hold no major elective or appointive position in the local government.
