By Saidu Adamu, Jalingo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr Abner Shittu as winner of the Karim 1 Taraba State Constituency By-election held on Saturday.
Shittu scored a total of 5,901 votes to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party PDP Mr. Ali Kanda who scored 5,527 votes.
The ADC candidate Garba Badina came 3rd with 2,069 votes while the Social Democratic Party SDP Abubakar Dauda came a distant Fourth with 106 votes in the keenly contested election.
Mr Dio Jen deserted his seat as the duly elected member of the State Assembly to take up appointment as a Commissioner and member of the Taraba State Executive Council, creating the vacancy that the election fills.
Taraba State has been under the rule of the PDP since the return to democracy in 1999 and this election signals the beginning of what many consider the end of the party’s supremacy in the State.
The state governor, Agbu Kefas recently said that he was no longer concerned if he is returned as Governor in 2027 or not, amid widespread rumours of his moves to join the APC and the many obstacles before him.
The governor is criticised for grossly underperforming in his first Two years in office and for largely ignoring major stakeholders in the State and this defeat is seen as a warning message ahead of 2027.
