2011 and the battle for Kaduna State
As the tradition goes, in every elections year, each party will have an influx of contestants with some who are serious about their aspirations, while others are just mediocres who are seeking attention and possibly political appointment when their party wins an election. Next year’s contest would definitely be a straight fight between the ruling […]
As the tradition goes, in every elections year, each party will have an influx of contestants with some who are serious about their aspirations, while others are just mediocres who are seeking attention and possibly political appointment when their party wins an election. Next year’s contest would definitely be a straight fight between the ruling PDP and CPC, because the other opposition party, ANPP is literally dead in the state after it joined the then government of Mohammed Namadi Sambo, where its members were allocated the two seats in the state’s executive council and they are still members of the council.
To start with the incumbent governor, Ibrahim Patrick Yakowa, who is a tested technocrat, has held many political appointments both at the state and federal levels. He ascended the seat when Arch Mohammad Namadi Sambo became vice-president, following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. And as the practice anywhere in the world, he would like to continue. Governor Yakowa has many advantages going with him; that include the incumbency factor and being the first person to be a governor from Kaduna South Senatorial Zone, thereby breaking an age-long jinx of power shift to the zone.
In addition to that, he is pursuing various programmes and projects aimed at wooing the various groups in the state, issues like salary increment for the civil servants, introducing Islamic calendar in the Kaduna state’s calendar schedules and programmes meant to increase his popularity base. He also has state’s resources to deploy for his projects, and may possibly suppress the delegates in order to emerge the PDP’s flag bearer.
However, Yakowa has a lot to contend with if he eventually emerges as PDP flag bearer. These include among others that the Kaduna indigenes are already tired and disenchanted with PDP, having stayed in power for 12 years without any concrete achievements to showcase.
PDP also has some handful aspirants such as Suleiman Hunkuyi, former finance commissioner and a bosom friend of Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi. Hunkuyi was alleged to have fallen apart with both Makarfi and Sambo, so he is out to settle scores with the duo.
Another aspirant is the Executive Director in the Dangote Group, Alhaji Idris Mikati, who, year in year out seeks to contest the governorship of the state, only to back down when the race gets hotter.
The ANPP in the state has two candidates, Senator Ahmed Aruwa and Alhaji Mohammed Sani Abbas. On Aruwa’s part, hardly anybody takes him serious due to the alleged role played by him and his elder brother Kabir Umar during the 2007 elections in the state and their past political antecedents spanning decades.
But CPC in the state is waxing strongly due to Buhari’s popularity, personality and Sha’aban’s recent entry with multitude of his supporters. It has about five governorship aspirants, with Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sha’aban leading the pack. He is a Zaria-born businessman, a one-term member of the House of Representatives, who after his tenure at the House, he has contested for the governorship under ANPP in 2007, where he was adjudged to have won the election. Unrelenting, Sha’aban pursued his case up to Supreme Court.
Haruna Seed Kajuru is one of the earliest aspirants who decamped from PDP to contest the governorship of the state. As the state’s Accountant-General for the last 12 years, Kujuru is said to be very wealthy and can execute his campaign without any hiccups.
Kajuru’s alleged recent conduct as the Executive-Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is another issue he has to contend with. There was a petition bearing his name in the Presidency and National Assembly by one of his director over the double salary controversy he allegedly benefitted from both it DFID in UK and the Nigeria government.
The remaining CPC governorship aspirants who exist only on posters are AVM Rufa’i Garba, an elder brother to former FCT Minister Ahmed el-Rufa’i. AVM Rufa’i is a retired Air Force officer, who is not a politician and has never participated in any political activities.
Alhaji Umaru Dembo, a Zaria indigene and former Minister of State for Petroleum during late General Sani Abacha regime, is the most interesting among all the CPC aspirants. He doesn’t have a campaign secretariat in the Kaduna metropolis and Zaria.
Sheyin writes from Kabala West, Kaduna