Kano re-run: Before we blame Buhari

The 2019 Gubernatorial Election has been a tug of war between the major parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).With the two of them sharing about two million votes. While the incumbent governor secure majority of his votes in rural areas and the opposition candidate secures his votes […]

The 2019 Gubernatorial Election has been a tug of war between the major parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).With the two of them sharing about two million votes. While the incumbent governor secure majority of his votes in rural areas and the opposition candidate secures his votes mainly within the metropolis. The Supplementary Election was ordered by INEC on March 23 as the PDP’s twenty six thousands votes margin was outnumbered by more than a hundred thousand cancelled votes. Days before the said rerun, Governor Ganduje embarked on a projects spree in the ward with the highest number of registered voters in the areas affected by the initial cancellations at Nassarawa Local government area, constructing about ten bore holes within a space of three days, rehabilitating a major road that cut across the ward. These has been the grievances of the people of Gama ward for over ten years. The election has been won and lost, as the incumbent governor has been reelected with a margin of about nine thousand votes.

However, as expected, the opposition PDP has cried foul, as they claimed the exercise was marred by violence, killings, ballot box snatching, and introduction of political thugs from neighboring states. On the other hand, the Nigerian Police, which is saddled with responsibility of ensuring security during and after the poll denied such claims, they declared the Election was peaceful. Having lived in Kano almost all my life, I have something to say about the atmosphere in the state during the poll. People were going on with their normal days to day activities within the metropolis, which was the area most affected by the supplementary poll. My brothers’s wife was in the market all day. After reading the press conference organised by the PDP which demand for total cancellation of the poll, I quickly called my brother to tell his wife to come back home but he insisted that everything is fine in the state. In a nut shell, there was a deliberate exaggeration of violence by the PDP. For us who have been in Kano for more than thirty years, we can be bold to say that violence in Kano cannot be hidden, having witnessed many in the past. The issue is that our political desperados are bad losers, they orchestrated this lies to tarnish the integrity of the poll and draw sympathy from people outside Kano,and create panic for those living in the State, but it will fail,because there are laid down guidelines as to how to challenge the outcome of an election in either Election Petition Tribunal and Courts as enshrined in our Constitution.

The PDP has created the notion that President Muhammadu Buhari has influenced the election so that the state does not fall in the hands of the opposition. This is mischief. Having been familiar with how the President runs his government there is no way PMB will interfere in such manner. Even his arch rivals can attest to that. President Buhari gives you responsibility to discharge your duties without interference, and if you are found wanting, the law will catch up with you. That was and is President Buhari.

Mustapha Ya’u, Dutse, Jigawa Statýe