Katsina CPC congress vindicates consensus
Senator Danmarke joined the CPC almost at the same time with former Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Bello Masari. The duo adopted different strategies to enhance their competitive advantages within the party to promote their gubernatorial aspirations. Masari mobilized his associates in the National Executive Committee to dissolve the then state executive committee […]
Senator Danmarke joined the CPC almost at the same time with former Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Bello Masari. The duo adopted different strategies to enhance their competitive advantages within the party to promote their gubernatorial aspirations. Masari mobilized his associates in the National Executive Committee to dissolve the then state executive committee under Dr. Yusha’u Armiya’u. Senator Lado adopted a less riskier, entrepreneurial approach. He felt that these were Buhari’s time tested associates in Katsina politics and therefore decided to support them to warm his heart into the General’s.
The attempt by Masari to take over the party structure was perceived by a large section of Katsina CPC supporters as overbearing the time he joined the party. Others saw in it as a determined agenda to push out the people who labored so hard to midwife the party in the state and have been the General’s diehard loyalists since his foray into party politics in 2003.
At the end of the 36-hour party congress held at the Katsina Polo ground on Wednesday 29 December, 2010 the incumbent state party chairman Dr. Armaya’u with the support of Senator Danmarke emerged victorious retaining his seat with a total of 1,197 votes while the contender Alhaji Kabir Murja who had the support of Masari and others 590 votes.
This was not a surprise given Dr Armiya’u’s reputation and antecedence since his leadership of the opposition ANPP in Katsina for several years and his contact with and assistance to ordinary people he had helped throughout Katsina State during his career spanning over 30 years as a medical practitioner. Senator Danmarke’s track record also came to play. His drive and tenacity as a politician with a mission, perceived loyalty to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua to the end, coupled with the myth around him as a politician known to have never lost an election from his days as a councillor, to Local Government Chairman, member Federal House of representative were additional strengths and now a senator.
The outcome of this congress shows that Senator Danmarke is a skilled motivator with strong grassroot support in the state. He is primed to trounce Masari in forthcoming CPC gubernatorial primaries scheduled to hold today.
Masari should just accept the result of the Bala Adamu-led consensus candidate screening committee which had earlier endorsed Senator Danmarke as the consensus Governorship candidate for the party in the forth coming election with the required attributes to unseat PDP’s Governor Barrister Ibrahim Shehu Shema. The outcome of this congress is both a prediction of what to expect in the primaries, as well as a proof that the decision to dissolve an extremely popular state, local and ward party executives in their thousands had ignored the realities on the ground as to the actual balance of political equation with the CPC configuration. It also shows how media campaigns are being used by politicians in the CPC to pontificate on Buhari’s integrity to undermine the retired General’s efforts to stabilize his party and conserve financial resources for the general elections.
Senator Danmarke would be magnanimous in victory by resisting the temptation to seek revenge on the supporters of Masari. In fact, he should protect them and support those among them aspiring to elective offices, provided such aspirants are both popular Masari should equally resist the urge to look elsewhere for another platform to achieve his ambition to be the governor of Katsina State. The ambition on Masari’s part to be a governor having once been the 4th citizen in the constitutional hierarchy of authority in the land remains both ill advised and one that can lead him to disrepute if not called off before the party’s gubernatorial primaries. Honourable Masari should use his experience as a national politician to assist Buhari to dilute his puritanical political thought to be able to come to terms with the more serious political parties with whom he can build an electoral alliance for the purpose of having a national opposition that can stand up to the PDP. It is better to manage the consequences later, after victory, than to allow the PDP to come to power at the centre again. He should consider this as his best contribution to prevent the ethnic conflagrations and religious conflicts that the PDP is deliberately planting all over the country as its lead strategy for winning the next general elections. The elders of the party, who had helped Masari to dissolve the party executive committees in the state to sincerely assist him, should prevail on him to accept the inexorable push of destiny clearly showing in the direction of Senator Danmarke.
Danlami Ahmadu Musawa, Katsina