In Sokoto, daring a lion in its den

At the moment, there are two operational parties in Bafarawa’s home Isa Local Government Area. The dominant is obviously the PDP, especially with the presence of Bafarawa and former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, a 2011 and 2015  governorship aspirant, the two of who are at odds, with the latter charging the former of […]

At the moment, there are two operational parties in Bafarawa’s home Isa Local Government Area. The dominant is obviously the PDP, especially with the presence of Bafarawa and former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, a 2011 and 2015  governorship aspirant, the two of who are at odds, with the latter charging the former of destroying the party in the state.
With the primaries over, what is now the priority for political parties is hitting the road to win over hearts and minds, especially in their opponents’ domains. The All Progressives Congress (APC) fired the first salvo, right at Isa, headquarters of Isa Local Government Area, Bafarawa’s power base, when it received many defecting PDP supporters. Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko was represented by Hon. Mohammed Arzika Tureta, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Ambassador Abubakar Shehu, former Nigerian envoy to Morocco.
The man of the moment was Alhaji Usman Suleman, Danmadamin Isa, who is Acting Chairman of the APC in Sokoto State, a one-time staunch Bafarawa ally. In his address, he described the defection ceremony as work-in-progress as more ceremonies of this kind would be arranged to receive more political converts. He said the APC, if elected, would address the current security challenges through empowerment programmes.  
The APC candidate for the forthcoming election into the Federal House of Reps will be Engr. Aminu Sani Isa, who defeated Hon. Gwanda Gobir at the primaries. Aminu, who is expected to compete against Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa, the young banker son of Former Governor Bafarawa, said the APC evolved to liberate Nigerians from a political that has been unable to meet the aspirations of Nigerians.    
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Umar Faruk Sulaiman said they took this decision because they discovered the PDP to be an unjust party, citing what he said is the imposition of Bafarawa’s son as a candidate for the upcoming election into the House of Reps, despite the availability of people who are more qualified.  
Gov. Wamakko commended the foresight of the defectors, who surrendered their PDP membership cards, for their decision on abandoning their former party and switching allegiance to the APC, adding that they had taken the right decision with perfect timing and expressed confidence that Sokoto State would no longer remain the domain of the PDP.  
An elder, Alhaji Hamza Isa, who is a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police and Commissioner of Commerce, urged supporters to ensure possession of voters’ cards enable them cast their votes for the APC in the coming elections. But I have the feeling that the last word is yet to be heard from Isa Local Government Area with the rival APC’s resolve in decimating and neutralising PDP. Will this plan materialise, or will Bafarawa, known for his resilience, launch a counter attack? Time will tell.
Umar wrote in from Sokoto, Sokoto State