*PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY TARABA STATE CHAPTER: THE SPUR FOR ENDURING DEMOCRACY* By Andeta'rang Irammae | Jalingo. The massive roll back of the military dispensation and one Party dictatorship in favour of electoral democracy in 1999 was received with resounding optimism in Nigeria. It was an indication that Nigerians regardless of ethno-religious affiliation felt the scorching effect of the military misrules. The People's Democratic Party is one of the parties that were involved in the struggles for the return of democracy to our political space; the interests that Coalesced to birth the party were determined Patriots who worked tirelessly to ensure that the military exited the scene. Though, the spirit, vision and mission of the founding fathers of PDP may have suffered some reverses, the Party in its context remains a formidable political force. Its original form insists on sustained pursuit of democratic ideals that would deepen and stabilize democracy in Nigeria. When the grace of God and will of the people conferred leadership of the country on the party between 1999 and 2015, her leaderships delivered real governance at both the centre and States that came under her control. Though the Practical Purpose of Politics is Power (PPPP), the party through her impeccable manifestos insisted that power should escalate in the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people of Nigeria; with zero tolerance for corruption and abuses. Political parties like Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All People's Party (APP) appeared in 1999 and are Amoebic. Nigeria's democracy hinges on institutional bullwarks courtesy of PDP; EFCC, ICPC, TETFUND e.t.c and other Internationally acclaimed democratic safeguards were put in place by the PDP. These Agencies are political peculiarities that have continued to assure Investors of the security of their investments in Nigeria. The governments that took power from the PDP have subjected these institutions to excessive abuses and misused them but the sanctity of their mandates is sacrosanct. Emergency Political Party (APC) and people who wanted power for cosmetic reasons and the sake of power came to power in 2015 and since then have embarked on dismantling of key elements that hold our democracy. A noticeable spectacle in the political game of Nigeria since the advent of the fourth republic is alliances and shifting alliances by turn-coats, time servers and opportunists who never see anything good in growing parties as institutions, such individuals believe in makeshift political organizations which they often collapse and rebrand for fresh registration by INEC to provide platforms for electoral contest. People's Democratic Party is the only party since the inception of the fourth republic whose concept and ideals have remained unchanged, though political mercenaries have tried repeatedly to inflict maximum injury on her. Taraba State is one state that exemplifies this political resilience and audacious inclination. Since the inception of the fourth republic the state has been in the firm political clutch of the PDP. This is due to the fact that the PDP aligns with the opinion of the public and basks in community consent. At the level of governance and party partisanship, the leaderships are firmly committed to fair allocation of shared values. The party in Taraba state remains one of the most organized in the country with discernable structures that have made it a lone actor in the political field of the state since 1999. It has achieved this level of ascendancy due to mechanisms that promote growth, unity and discipline within her fold. Successive governments that came on board courtesy of the party are focused, people oriented and friendly hence each election circle is a tailor-made season of continuum. The current governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas was the state Chairman of the party, his exceptional brilliance and track record of competence endeared him to the people of Taraba State. His transmutation into the executive governor is a reflection of the culture of finesse, outstanding performance, intellect and influence. The Taraba State PDP model of strict adherence to grund norms is recommended to rival political parties in order not to delight in Political contests that are not rooted in firm political/partisan architecture. Approaches that are counter productive to entrenching democracy, often wrapped in Political niceties must be discarded if we want our democracy to attain the best global standard and compete with western democracies. The People's Democratic Party has retained power in Taraba state since 1999 because it understands prevailing structures of opportunities, constraints and rational analysis of political trajectory in all the 168 Electoral Wards of the state.