Ethnic minorities in Nigeria’s Plateau North allege political marginalization by APC
A coalition of ethnic minorities in Nigeria’s Plateau North Senatorial District has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of creating a political arrangement under which key elected and party positions could be concentrated in the hands of one ethnic community ahead of the 2027 general elections. Victor Samson, secretary of the Plateau North Equity Project initiative, stated this at a press conference in the city of Jos, Premium Times Nigeria reports.
According to Samson, representatives of one community could retain the Plateau North Senate seat and the position of deputy governor of the state, as well as control the post of APC state chairman and two of the district’s three House of Representatives seats. The coalition called for a fairer distribution of political offices among Plateau North communities.
Demand for greater representation
Plateau North includes the local government areas of Bassa, Barkin-Ladi, Jos East, Jos North, Jos South and Riyom. The PNEP says it represents ethnic minorities who predominantly live in Bassa, Jos East and Jos North, as well as the Ibaas communities in Barkin-Ladi and the Ganawuri community in Riyom.
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The coalition stressed that it does not seek to deprive any individual or community of the right to run for office. At the same time, it believes that parties and authorities should use the option of zoning or allocating positions to ensure fairness and the inclusion of all communities. The PNEP claims that leading political offices in the district have for years been concentrated in one community, while minorities have had limited representation.
Appeal to the leadership
The PNEP said zoning the position of APC chairman in Plateau State to Plateau North could have been an opportunity to correct this imbalance. Since the positions of deputy governor and senator are, in the coalition’s assessment, already associated with the numerically dominant community, the organization proposed electing a qualified candidate from one of the ethnic minorities as state party chairman. According to PNEP representatives, this proposal was not supported.
The coalition also criticized the procedure for selecting the APC’s Plateau North Senate candidate. It claims that if this candidate wins the 2027 election, one community will have held the seat in eight of the nine electoral terms since 1999. The PNEP appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the APC national leadership and Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang to intervene, review the arrangements concerning the Senate seat and reserve the position of deputy governor for a candidate from the district’s ethnic minorities.
