JOHN MKOM

THE bandwagon effect trailing the outcome of the March 28 presidential election is likely to determine the outcome of the governorship election in Taraba State.

The parties fielding candidates for the exercise are  the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; All Progressives Congress, APC; and Social Democratic Party, SDP.

PDP is being represented by  Mr. Dickson  Ishaku,  while Aisha Arhasan is representing the APC. The SDP  has Mr. David  Kente as its standard bearer.

Of the three, the candidates of the APC and PDP are considered as frontrunners in the race that has become close lately.

The claim that the  SDP candidate had  stepped down for the PDP candidate was debunked by Kente, who is confident of victory.

There were also allegations that Kente had collapsed his structure into the APC, so as to be given a ministerial position in the next dispensation.

However, observers believe that the race is between the APC and PDP candidates, whose campaigns were marked by concerns over power sharing arrangement and religion.

The trio are so confident of victory on the strength of the aforementioned factors.

Isiaku, who hails from the Southern senatorial district is hoping  that the clamour for power shift in the state will earn him victory.

He is particularly upbeat as a result of the fact that his zone is yet to produce the state governor since 1999.

In addition, Isiaku could be said to have had the most elaborate campaign than anyone else, making many to assume that the odds may favour him.

The support of the acting governor of the state,  Alhaji Abubakar Danladi, and members of the state House of Assembly, has been generally described as an asset to Isiaku’s chances.

He also hopes to get block votes in the zone, which is  populated by Christians.

Alhassan, who is the APC candidate is a Muslim from the Northern senatorial district.

The governorship hopeful, is also representing the zone in the Senate.

For the serving senator, whose emergence as APC candidate came as a surprise, zoning was never agreed upon as a power sharing formula.