The Plateau North Equity Project (PNEP) has called for greater inclusion of minority communities in the distribution of political offices in the senatorial zone ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group specifically wants the Plateau North Senate seat and the Deputy Governorship slot to be considered for candidates from minority communities, arguing that political positions in the zone have been dominated by one community for years.
PNEP spokesman, Dr. Muru Song, made the demand on Tuesday while addressing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Jos.
Song said the group had previously engaged government officials and other stakeholders in an effort to address what it described as an imbalance in political representation.
He said PNEP also wrote to Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, presenting what it described as the historical pattern of political office distribution in Plateau North and asking him to intervene.
According to him, the group’s concern became more pronounced after the APC zoned its state chairmanship to Plateau North, while the Deputy Governor and the Plateau North Senator were already from what PNEP described as the numerically advantaged community.
The group had hoped that the chairmanship would provide an opportunity for a qualified candidate from one of the minority communities to emerge, but Song said that did not happen.
PNEP is now asking the governor and the APC leadership to reconsider the political arrangement, particularly the Senate and Deputy Governorship positions.
“Our concern is not to question the right of any individual or community to aspire to political office. Rather, we believe that where a political party or government has the opportunity to influence or zone offices, such opportunities should be used to promote fairness and a sense of inclusion among the constituent communities,” Song said.
The group also pointed to the history of the Plateau North Senate seat, alleging that the same community would have occupied the position eight times in nine electoral cycles since 1999 if the APC candidate wins in 2027.
PNEP said its demand was not about denying other communities the right to seek political office, but about creating what it considers a more balanced political arrangement across the six local government areas of Plateau North.
Song appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC national leadership and Governor Mutfwang to intervene before the 2027 political contest becomes more divisive.
“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC National Chairman, leadership and the Executive Governor of Plateau State Barr Caleb Mutfwang to urgently intervene and correct this imbalance before it destroys the party,” he said.
PNEP comprises minority communities in Bassa, Jos East, Jos North, as well as Ibaas and Ganawuri communities in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas.
The group said it would continue to pursue what it described as equitable political representation through democratic means.
