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Traditional Worshippers Demand Palliatives from Plateau State Government, Decry Marginalization
Traditional worshippers in Plateau State have called on the government to include them in its welfare programs, citing years of neglect and marginalization.
Speaking during the 2025 Morgi Masquerade Festival in Pankshin, Ma-Ajin Pankshin and Ngo-Long Vel, Nde Monday Tokzakka, urged the government at all levels to extend palliatives to traditional worshippers to alleviate the economic hardships affecting them.
The kingmaker to the Ngo-Long Pankshin traditional stool also demanded for equal rights and called on the state Government to carried them along in the scheme of things.
Masquerades on the street of Pankshin during the celebration of the 2025 Morgi festival
Nde Tokzakka made the call while speaking on the sideline of the celebration of the 2025 Morgi masquerade festival in Pankshin.
Our correspondent reports that the festival is traditional worshippers’ day, were over 300 different masquerades will be on displayed to the admiration of the people.
He maintained that very soon they will conclude arrangement for their registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) so that the three tier of Governments can accord them the necessary recognition like their Christian and Muslim counterpart in the state.
“We understand that the state Government give them palliative during Christmas and Sallah celebration. Traditional worshippers which is the first religion is not being carried along or consider for anything.”
Picture of Galadiman Pankshin Nde Gobak Yikchir
He further stressed, “We have not been given any attention or consideration, consequently we are being relegated to the background”.
He also pleaded with the Plateau state Government to support them to promote the annual Morgi cultural festival because the state is known as the ‘Home of Peace and Tourism”.
“The Morgi festival if sustained will also attract tourists and generate revenue to the state because of the array of different masquerade that will be on parade”.
According to him, all the tribes in Nigeria can be found in Pankshin and as such they have always ensure that they are well protected during the festival.
Picture of Ngo-Long Chwil Nde Garba Yiltok
“The Masquerades during procession are not allowed to enter Government’s establishment, school Mosque, Church and business centers by their handlers”.
It was further gathered that as part of the Morgi festival during harvest time masquerade are invited to monitor the harvest of grains from farms right to the storage in the bans. It was also told that any day the Masquerade comes out, there will be plenty food to eat as they also bring Maize and Guinea corn’s seedling for the next planting season.
Speaking on the significant of the festival, he further said that it is a period of offering prayer for blessing of the land and for bumper harvest and to also seek for cleansing, forgiveness, healing, and purification of the land from evil.
He warned that failure to preserve cultural heritage will lead to the erosion of traditions, and a loss of historical knowledge and potentially leading to cultural disconnection and confusion.
Picture of Ban for harvested grains storage .
Also speaking the Galadima Pankshin Nde Gobak Yilchir and the Ngo-Long Chwil Nde Garba Yiltok underscored the need to preserve cultural heritage as it provides a sense of belonging and identity to individuals and foster community cohesion and social bonding.
According to them, by showcasing their culture, it will helps to safeguard historical events, traditions, and customs for future generations so that they can gain valuable insights into the past and its impact on the present.
The duo urged Pankshin sons and daughters not to forget their root and to always endeavor to bring their children home to watch this festival for the sake of posterity.
It is was further learnt gathered that Morgi Masquerade festival is celebrated by the Ngas people of Pankshin district, Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The cultural festival is celebrated annually starting from Saturday and Sunday, the first or second week of March to usher in raining and farming season.
This masquerade festival is a culture that has been in existence for over 500 years and was handed over to the people by their fore fathers from generation to generation.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has unveiled the final list of Lagos State governorship candidate.
The list is contained in a document released by INEC on Saturday in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
According to the document, the Lagos State deputy governor, Femi Hamzat is listed at the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Also on the list is Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidate.
Find attach below document containing the full list.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, from its final list of governorship candidates for Gombe State ahead of the February 6, 2027 election.
Politics Nigeria reports that the commission released a list of 16 cleared candidates for the election, but Pantami’s name was missing despite his earlier inclusion in the provisional list published on August 29.
Among the candidates on the final list are Bala Bello Tinka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Babayo Ardo Kumo of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Others include Zubairu Mu’azu Halilu of the Labour Party (LP), Lamela L. Silas of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Ibrahim Jalo Abubakar of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Adamu Mohammed Ma’aji of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Pantami’s exclusion comes amid a series of legal disputes over his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state.
The former minister had initially sought the APC governorship ticket but left the party after it settled for Gwamna as its consensus candidate. He subsequently joined the PDP and emerged as the party’s flag bearer through voice affirmation at its governorship primary.
However, a Federal High Court sitting in Gombe nullified his initial emergence on May 26, following a challenge to the primary process.
The court ordered a fresh primary election, which Pantami won on September 29 with 2,054 votes, defeating Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
Garry had challenged Pantami’s emergence, arguing that the required primary election was not properly conducted before the former minister was declared the party’s candidate.
Despite winning the court-ordered rerun, Pantami’s eligibility remained in doubt following the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and candidate eligibility.
The Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.
The provisions bar political parties from fielding candidates whose names were not included in the membership registers submitted to INEC within the stipulated period.
INEC has maintained that parties found to have violated the requirements will not be permitted to participate in the elections through candidates whose nominations breach the law.
Mohammed Haruna, an INEC national commissioner in charge of information and voter education, said the commission would not allow parties to replace candidates affected by the provisions.
Haruna made the clarification during an appearance on Trust TV’s programme on Wednesday evening, explaining that allowing substitutions would enable political parties to benefit from their own violations.
He cited previous disputes involving Zamfara and Plateau states to illustrate the consequences of parties failing to comply with electoral requirements.
“It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it,” Haruna said.
He added that allowing parties to substitute candidates in such circumstances would amount to permitting them to benefit from an offence they had committed.
Haruna also indicated that the commission expected to make a definite pronouncement on the implications of the Supreme Court judgment by the following Tuesday.
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