BAYO MUHAMMAD ALABIRA, from Dutse reports that both parties- the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – have attracted sufficient crowd to their ongoing campaigns that leave the citizens pondering over what the possible outcome might be.
A few days to the 2023 governorship elections in Jigawa state, political analysts are confused to predict which among the two governorship candidates of the major political parties – the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) or the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – will triumph in the contest that many see as a two horse race.
The strength of the governorship candidates of APC, Umar Namadi and the PDP Mustapha Sule Lamido has been tested through mass mobilisation of crowds in the electioneering campaigns witnessed by our correspondent in the 27 local government areas of the state.
Both men have toured the state, engaged the voters and made promises to better the lives of their people, if they will be given the mandate to lead the state in a fresh four years term in office.
The candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Aminu Ibrahim, is also testing his strength for the third time under the new party after losing two governorship elections under the PDP before joining the NNPP in the aftermath of the crisis that split the PDP in the state.
The simple projection for the NNPP candidate is that he is unlikely to win but he may serve as a spoiler for his former party.
The APC and the PDP will lock horns and fight it to finish. Interestingly, both parties have tested power in the state and that made the electioneering campaign an issue-based.
While the PDP candidate complained about the lack of achievements by the former governor Sule Lamido, the APC candidate has promised to build on the achievements of the incumbent governor, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar.
Observers also believe that the ancient emirate rivalry existing within the five emirate councils in the state is another factor that may influence the governorship election.
Though, the emirate rivalry is often pronounced between the Dutse and Hadejia emirates, co-incidentally, the two emirates have produced the two major candidates – APC and PDP.
Lapses of the APC
However, beyond the crowd gathering during the campaign and the promises being made, analysts observed that poor coordination within the APC campaign and handling of logistics support to its faithful, if not checked, may also affect the mobilisation of voters in the election and may work against the party.
One of the analyst also a member of the campaign council who spoke anonymously to Blueprint said, “the campaign strategies used did not go down well with our supporters as expected of a ruling party which controlled the entire resources and the security agencies in the state as a government”.
Other analysts further explained that though the APC has an acceptable governorship candidate, who is the current serving deputy governor, the support given to him by the outgoing governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, during the campaigns across the 27 LGAs was not enough to make him win the election.
“This has fueled speculation that the governor is against the APC in the state.
“The only thing that can make the APC win this election is that despite the shortcomings during the campaigns across the state, supporters knew where the problem was coming from, it was not from the candidate, he was also frustrated by the way the campaign was handled by the state governor”, the source said.
Sources from within the APC have also lamented that Governor Badaru has starved the state campaign council of getting enough funds to run its campaigns successfully as a ruling party which wants to retain power in a few days to come.
According to the sources, the campaign council in the state and the APC’s supporters knew that the APC governorship candidate is not strong enough to finance his campaign without the support of the state governor.
And for this reason, there are comments here and there that the state governor concentrated more at the national level, campaigning for the APC’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, rather than supporting his governorship candidate.
Also, another serious problem that may likely work against the APC’s success during the forthcoming election is the recent hardship caused by lack of fuel, currency redesigning and lack of liquid cash in circulation that brought untold hardship on the common man who is expected to go and cast his/her vote in few days to come.
PDP
The PDP, which is the strongest contender fighting to seize power in the next coming election in the state, is running its campaigns in every nook and cranny of the state without publicity. So in this manner, its strategies and strength to defeat the incumbent party and win an election are not yet known.
Although the PDP’s governorship candidate, Mustapha Sule Lamido, is the son of the former governor of the state, Alhaji Sule Lamido, is another acceptable candidate to the people of Jigawa state.
The political observers said his acceptability across the state may not be unconnected to his father’s influence who governed the state from 2007 to 20215, transformed the state and raised its statute high, which makes the state known as any other developed state in Nigeria.
Mustapha Lamido in some of his blueprints said when elected the governor of the state, will transform agriculture, assist the poor, improve the standard of education as well as the provision of social amenities and considers the welfare of the citizens across the state.
The prospects of NNPP
Also, the candidate of the NNPP, Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, who was the Chief of Staff to the former governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido contested and participated in the governorship election twice, under the platform of the PDP in 2015 and 2019, without success, is polling crowed.
Ibrahim Ringim is also in the race contesting for the third term in his ambition to become a governor of the state in a few days. But the nature and strategies for his campaign are still at the surface because the residents are not adequately informed about his manifestos and campaign promise and it’s not yet clear whether the NNPP candidate was able to go around all the LGAs in the state, campaigning and solicit votes.
This and many other issues have left many in doubt whether the NNPP has state-wide acceptability of both the governorship and Presidential candidates. Nevertheless, the electorate will decide in the March 11, 2923 governorship election to be held nationwide.
However, in Jigawa state, political analysts strongly believe that any party that wins the presidential election in the state, may also decide the outcome of the governorship election.
