The Nation Newspaper

Tag: APC

  • Observers urge INEC to declare Jime, winner of Benue Guber Polls

    The Coalition of Election Observers in Benue State has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to forthwith announce Emmanuel Jime, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as winner.
    Like in six other states, INEC had declared the polls in Benue inconclusive, alleging that 121,011 electorates were either not able to vote or election did not hold in their areas.
    However, in a statement by Convener Princess Ajibola on Saturday, the election observers urged INEC to  adhere to the constitution and declare the APC flagbearer winner having picked up the highest number of votes in areas where card reader machines were used for accreditation.
    The group of observers, who thoroughly monitored the exercise asserted that the incumbent and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Ortom, connived with some INEC officials to deliberately sabotage the entire process in his favour.
    According to the observers, “ It is no coincidence that the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Samuel Ortom, only scored high votes in places where Card Readers were deliberately sabotaged by his agents to force electoral officers to resort to manual accreditation. In course of our observation, we documented that Card Readers were not used in Logo, Guma, Vandekiya, Konshisha, Buruku and Gwer West Local Government Areas.
    “ The manual accreditation gave room to vote manipulation in the identified local government areas. Incidents documented included over voting, accreditation of people that are not registered voters, ballot stuffing amongst others. These incidents do not in any way form part of what INEC had promised when it announced its determination to conduct acceptable elections and they certainly do not indicate credible elections in any part of the world.
    “ The knowledge on the part of other candidates that violations occurred on this scale is reasons for the election results so far announced are being met with rejection. The results have become controversial and are now a subject of protests by many candidates and observers.
    “ Public anger will continue to grow for as long as INEC continues to delay in declaring a rejection of results from locations where Card Readers were not used. This is because INEC had issued a guideline that specifically directed that the use of card reader machine must be complied with.
    “ In a bizarre development, the PDP candidate has connived with some INEC officials in Benue state to rig the elections through the failure to use Card Readers and is now parading himself as the winner of the election while citing some outrageous votes.

    Read Also:Rivers APC lashes INEC over comment on military

    “ The rigging is so brazen that the leading APC candidate was allocated zero votes in places where it had large turnout of its supporters and polling agents, which would suggest that even the agents were not allowed to vote.
    “ We see the case in Benue State as test for INEC that it can take electoral decisions that will ensure that every vote it organized do not end up being tabled before Election Petition Tribunals for adjudication. The Commission must begin to put an end to the practice of deprived winners being asked to go to court to reclaim their victories. INEC should therefore cancel the results from local government areas where Card Readers were not used and declare the Emmanuel Jime/Sam Ode ticket as winner.
    “ We urge the international community to keep close watch of the development in Benue state so that the world will know what truly transpired in the state since it will become necessary to make interventions at some point based on the way the electorates will likely respond to their votes being stolen.”

  • The big contest

    IT is the sixth presidential election since the restoration of civil rule in 1999. Eyes are on Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, as the people of the highly heterogeneous and consistently fragile federation go to poll. Will the election be free and fair? Will its outcome strengthen the sanctity of the ballot box? Will it meet international best practice? Will Nigeria’s electoral democracy be a model for Africa? Voters are warming up for a festival of choice and change. The international community is also beaming the searchlight on the country. After the presidential and National Assembly elections, Nigerians are expected to also troop out to elect governors and members of House of Assembly on March 2. No fewer than 91 parties are participating in the periodic general elections. But, 71 presidential candidates are on the ballot. The big two are President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his main challenger, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The semblance of a third force is the Peoples Trust (PT), which is fielding a pro-democracy crusader, Gbenga Olawepo Hashim, as candidate. The fact that only two big parties dominate the scene historically confirms the tendency towards a two-party system. The historical backgrounds are the conflict between the Nigeria National Alliance (NNA) and the United Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the First Republic, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN)/Progressives Parties Alliance (PPA) of the Second Republic, the Social Democratic Party (SDP)/National Republic Convention (NRC) antagonism in the Third Republic, the PDP onslaught against the Alliance for Democracy (AD)/All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999 and the APC/PDP battle of 2015. This is also underscored by the fact that some mushroom parties have decided to queue behind the two major parties through their endorsement of President Buhari and Atiku.

    In the National Assembly elections, 109 seats are being contested in the Senate while 360 seats are being contested in the House of Representatives. Foreign observers and domestic monitors are warming up for the crucial electoral duty. Ahead of poll, the Police High Command has emphasised that electoral security should not be compromised. Some police commissioners have been transferred. Few ones were appointed and assigned. Also, the Armed Forces have reiterated their commitment to peaceful polls. During the week, political leaders on both divides stepped up their campaigns, which were rounded up on Thursday. The message of the APC is continuity. The message of the PDP is change.

    At 76, President Buhari, who was elected four years ago, is seeking for a second term. He is a General of the Nigerian Army, who fought in the civil war. He is a former military governor of the defunct Northeast State, Federal Commissioner for Petroleum, Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Military Secretary, General Officer Commanding, Third Armoured Division, Jos, military Head of State and Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). The president entered politics in 2002 and contested for the presidency in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. He failed. In 2015, he defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. His victory terminated the 16 years of dominance by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Buhari campaigned on a four- point manifesto: security, economy, employment and anti-corruption. In private and public life, he is perceived as a man of honour and integrity. According to observers, Buhari cannot be described as a lucky statesman. Fixing a nation at a crossroads is not an easy task. Twice in national history, fate has entrusted on the Daura-born leader the unenviable duty of salvaging a nation in distress; first as a young and energetic General in 1984, and later, as a septuagenarian statesman driven by patriotic anger. Under his leadership, hope has been the elixir for Nigerians in the last three and half years. Three decades ago, he rode to power on military populism.

    The conditions that paved the way for his ascension in 1983 were similar to the prevailing circumstances of 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, which made him to throw his hat into the ring. Reminiscent of the Second Republic, Buhari had warned that the country was in the brink. He lamented that the ship of state was sinking; the economy had been mismanaged, the Nigerian currency had almost become a worthless paper, a culture of theft and graft in high places was thriving, insecurity remained insurmountable, roads were death traps, and hospitals were mere consulting clinics. The nation lay prostrate.

    On May 29, 2015, the euphoria of victory at the historic presidential election fizzled out in the face of these mounting challenges. President Buhari inherited little assets and many liabilities. The components of the national burden included a disunited polity, aptly torn apart by the battle for presidential power, an empty treasury ravaged by an avaricious leadership, a huge foreign debt capable of mortgaging the future, depleted foreign reserves, soaring corruption by greedy actors, an army of jobless youths, dilapidated infrastructure, and growing insecurity. President Buhari has managed to overcome his inevitable adjustment difficulties. The image of the new democrat in Aso Villa, Abuja, contrasts sharply with the stern-looking soldier of early 80s in Dodan Barracks, Lagos. In 1984, the military Head of State and Commander-In-Chief was like the lord of manor. There was no parliament to moderate his actions. He was both the legislature and the executive. He ruled by decrees, many of which were draconian. He brooked no opposition.

    But, the last three and half years was a different ball game. The President is being constitutionally tamed by the National Assembly and an independent judiciary. Unlike before, the media and civil society groups are active in playing the role of watchdogs in democracy without inhibition. Presidential actions may have also been moderated by the utter sensitivity to the legitimate pressures and demands from the ruling party. Unlike 30 years ago, dialogue is now the watchword. An effort at consensus building is becoming the norm. While adapting to the compelling ethos of democratic culture, dictatorship is foreclosed. No doubt, many achievements of the ‘regime of change’ may have been easily overlooked by a polity that is assailed by collective amnesia. But, the feats constitute, in part, the making of a new nation-state.

    The Buhari administration has not only maintained a clean break from the past, it has also offered a new orientation to the polity. The first task was clearing the Augean table by making corruption a risky venture. The President has demonstrated to all that, henceforth, the corridor of power should not be perceived as an avenue for private accumulation. He and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), have led by personal examples by reducing their emoluments and shunning opulence in office. It was the first preliminary step in setting the tune for reducing the cost of governance. Gone were the days of business as usual. According to observers, Buhari has campaigned during this electioneering more than he did four years ago. During the campaigns, the president promised to build on the achievements of his administration in the four aforementioned areas. The election, they said, will be a referendum on his performance in office. Atiku is a veteran presidential contender. He is a retired Customs Officer and successful businessman. He entered politics in the aborted Third Republic as a disciple of the late Major General Shehu Yar’Adua.

    He was a presidential aspirant in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). He stepped down for the late Chief Moshood Abiola at the Jos Convention of the party. In 1999, he was elected governor of Adamawa State. But, the PDP presidential candidate, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, picked him as running mate. He was vice president for eight years. In 2007, 2011 and 2015, Atiku sought for the highest office, but without success. He has traversed some partiesPDP, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and APC-in a bid to realise his ambition. He is a courageous politician who is undeterred by previous disappointments. Atiku has criticised the APC government for nepotism, for the battle against insecurity that has not been totally won, and for low standard of loving. However, two promises by Atiku stand him out: the actualisation of restructuring and the sale of the refineries. They are controversial.

    Many believe that he is campaigning on the borrowed platform of restructuring. Also, many have argued that the refineries are critical c0mmonwealth that should not end up on private pocket. Apart from the president and former vice president, other contenders may not make much impact on Saturday. It is a crowded race, no doubt. But, the remaining flag bearers are largely ambitious, paper-weight politicians, whose parties are unpopular. They are not in popular reckoning. Although the candidates have made names in their various careers, the weak political structures that lack tentacles at the grassroots, may be swallowed by the bigger parties. Although the young, vibrant elements on these platforms raised fundamental issues that are germane to good governance during the campaigns, they could not pull much crowd. At best, these candidates on the fringe may become special spectators on poll day.

    The independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chaired by Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, a political scientist, has assured the anxious country that the poll will be credible and transparent. The body is not leaving anything to chances. Both PDP and APC have criticised the agency for some reasons, but, generally, INEC has asserted itself as an independent institution and an unbiased umpire. According to INEC, 84,004, 084 million registered to vote. This is an improvement in the voting population because 68, 833, 476 registered to vote in 2015. The Northwest has 20, 158, 100, representing 24 percent. The Southwest has 16, 292, 212. This represents 15. 29 percent. The Northeast has 11, 289, 293, which is 13 per cent. Also, the election will hold in 119,973 polling units and results will be collated in 8, 809 wards. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) will vote, Yakubu said, but the prospect of Diaspora voting is foreclosed. In th4e day of election, there will be restriction of movement between 7 am and 4pm.

    The Chief Returning Officer for the Presidential Election is the INEC Chairman. The electoral body has released seven-step voting procedure for the exercise. Step 1: Upon arrival at the polling unit, the voter joins the queue and present himself to the INEC official (APO 111) at the polling unit, who will determine whether he or she is at the correct polling unit and check if the photograph on the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) matches his or her face. If satisfied, he or she will direct the voter to the next INEC official (APO 1). Step 2: The official (APO1) will request the voter for his/her PVC to confirm that the card is genuine and the details, using the smart card reader to confirm that the PVC belongs to the person by ascertaining. The card reader will contain the name, photograph and finger prints of all those registered in their polling unit. Step 3: The voter will then meet the next official (APO 11), who will request for his PVC to confirm that his/her name and details are in the voters’ register. The name will be ticked and the PVC returned to him/her. He/she will then apply indelible link to the cuticle of the appropriate finger for that election to show that the person has been accredited to vote.

    If the name of the person is not found on the register, he/she will not be allowed to vote. Step 4: The Presiding Officer (PO) stamps, signs and endorses the date at the back of the ballot papere. The PO will roll the ballot paper inwardly with the printed side inwards and give to the voter. He/she will then direct the voter to the voting cubicle where he will vote in secret. Step 5: The voter will stain his/her appropriate finger for the election with the ink provided. He/she will then use the stained finger to mark the space or box provided on the ballot paper for his/her preferred candidate/party. He/she will roll the marked ballot paper in the manner the PO gave to him/her. Step 6: Then, the voter will leave the voting cubicle and drop the ballot paper in the ballot box in full view of people at the polling unit. Step 7: The voter will then leave the polling unit or wait, if he/she so chooses in an orderly and peaceful manner to watch the process up to the declaration of result. Yakubu said about one million ad hoc staff have been recruited.

    “The projected increase in the number of ad hoc staff to be engaged in the elections by the commission arose from the need to make provisions for adequate manpower for the exercise on a general template and specifically, to take care of peculiarneeds for that purpose in some polling units across the federation,” he added. Oil-rich Nigeria has had an uninterrupted 20 years of political stability, a far cry from its unenviable experience of intermittent stoppage of civilian administration through coups by restless soldiers. Yet, it is still politically and religiously divided. Also, political stability has not been converted into a special advantage. The stability has not been accompanied by any significant economic success. It seems there is much commit ment to orderly transfer of power by stakeholders than the pursuit of farreaching economic reforms that can catapult the bewildered country into a huge economic miracle.

    But, religious and tribal sentiments may not have undue influence on the outcome of the presidential election. The top candidates-General Buhari and Alhaji Atiku-are both Fulani from the North. They are also Muslims. For geo-ethnic and religious balancing, they picked their running mates from the South. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) of the APC is a Christian cleric from the Southwest state of Ogun. Atiku’s running mate, Peter Obi, is a Christian and former governor of Anambra State. There have been endorsements and counter-endorsements of the two main candidates. The two flag bearers have traversed almost the 36 states for campaigns. So far, the campaigns have not been marred by violence. Interparty conflicts have also been reduced to exchange of hot words in the media. However, since the beginning of the year, elder statesmen and religious leaders have been appealing to politicians to eschew violence.

    The Primate of the Anglican Church, Dr. Nicholas Okoh said: “Violence does not drop from the sky. People arrange it. People who organise violence should be asked to bring their sons and daughters or themselves to be part of it so that they can feel the effect. They create problems, go abroad and come back to rule us.” On Wednesday, a peace accord was signed by the president and 72 other candidates. Also, in his broadcast to the nation on Thursday, President Buhari assured the country of his commitment to free and fair poll and urged the youth to shun violence. In recent elections and by-elections, allegations of vote buying were rife. There is no political party that is insulated from the electoral fraud.

    Yakubu warned against the menace, saying that perpetrators wikl be dealt with in accordance with the law. According to observers, there are some mistakes that should not be repeated, if INEC is to conduct a hitch-free exercise. In previous polls, the failure of card readers generated anxiety and tension. The INEC chairman has assured that the machines will not malefaction. Also, INEC staff are expected to be regular and punctual at the polling booths. It is expected that in the coastal states where some locations cannot be reached through vehicles, adequate arrangement should be made to ensure that electoral materials get to those remote communities under police protection. Yakubu has also urged his staff to be patriotic and shun bribery and corruption to avoid the repeat of the trial of INEC staff who committed electoral offences in the course of their duties during the last election.

  • APC, PDP in tug of war

    As Nigerians across the country get ready to cast their ballots in today’s presidential and National Assembly elections, DARE ODUFOWOKAN, Assistant Editor, identifies nine states where the poll is expected to throw up some drama, even as pundits insist that the outcome in most of these states remain unpredictable.

    KWARA STATE

    Today’s elections in Kwara State will be headlined by the intense struggle for the political control of the north-central state between the Saraki political family led by Senate President Bukola Saraki and those opposed to his continued hold on the politics of the state, who are largely chieftains of the opposition APC, Saraki’s former party. Pundits say, for the first time in a long time, the threat to the status quo in the state, as symbolised by Saraki Dynasty is real.

    It is too dicey to say either of the two leading parties, APC and PDP, will win today, as analysts say the electoral map here is very fluid with the three senatorial districts left open to be won either by PDP or APC. Thus, the presidential election in the state can go either way at the close of political hostilities. The spate of violence in the past weeks across the state highlighted how tense the political atmosphere in the state is.

    While Saraki, aside from struggling to win his seat and return to the Senate, is also fighting to remain politically relevant by delivering the state to the PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, the opposition APC is determined to show the world that Saraki has lost hold of the state as the “O to gee” movement swept across the state following the emergence of Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman, as the APC gubernatorial candidate.

    Saraki, who represents Kwara Central Senatorial District, has a date with his closest rival, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, who was a former member of the State House of Assembly.  The contest is reminiscent of the duel between David and Goliath. For Oloriegbe, who was once a product of the dynasty, his record of selfless service as a medic and as well as coming from a respected family, will make the contest tough. His greatest advantage is the mass discontent against the Sarakis.

    Despite the power of incumbency and over reliance on money politics, it won’t be an easy ride for Saraki in Kwara Central District. In the last one month, the Senate President has retreated to fault lines for political survival and to retool his campaign machinery, but the people of Ilorin Emirate, who dominate the district, are now sharply divided for and against him.

    What will count against Saraki include the collapse of governance in the state in the last four years; poor state of infrastructure; non-payment of local government workers’ salaries; the conspiracy of the elites; sheer flaunting of affluence by political leaders in the state; the exodus of his loyalists and strategists to APC; the “O To Ge” (Enough is Enough) revolution; and the imposition of PDP governorship candidate, Razak Atunwa, on the party.

    With the failure of the last minute retrieval of the senatorial ticket from Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim by Saraki, as INEC insists that

    the governor remains the senatorial candidate of Kwara South, the district may just be a walkover for APC. With Ibrahim’s supporters now aggrieved amidst suspicion that Ahmed and Saraki played a fast one on them by refusing to perfect Ibrahim’s candidature, PDP is seriously weakened in Kwara South.

    If one adds this to the seeming unpopularity of the governor in the area, the same factor that led to Saraki’s earlier decisison to substitute him with Ibrahim, and the massive followership currently being enjoyed in the area by APC and its candidates, then it may even be comfortable to predict that President Muhammadu Buhari will sweep the presidential votes across the district today. The influence of  Lola Ashiru, an architect, who is the APC senatorial candidate, is another factor helping Buhari’s chances.

    Other factors that may swing electoral behaviour this time include the looming protest votes from Offa and its environs over the recent bank robbery which claimed many lives; the spiral effect of losing Irepodun/ Ekiti/ Isin, Oke-Ero Federal Constituency to APC; and the neglect of the district in the scheme of things. The Ibolo, the Igbomina and the Ekiti in this district naturally detest the politics of the Sarakis.

    In Kwara North, it is a battle royale between the PDP candidate, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (the incumbent member of the House of Representatives for Baruten/Kaiama Constituency), and the APC candidate, a pharmacist and erstwhile expert in DFID, Sadiq Umar. The two candidates are credible and tested professionals. But what will determine the direction of the district is the politics of power shift. The people of the district are unhappy with Saraki for denying them the governorship slot in the past 20 years. The last time the district tasted gubernatorial power was between 1991 and 1993 when Senator Sha’aba Lafiagi was elected into office. Despite plans by Saraki dynasty to enter into a gentleman agreement with the district on power shift in 2023, they are unprepared to trust him.

     

    PLATEAU STATE

    Today’s presidential election on the Plateau is expected to be dramatic. It is highly unpredictable with pundits saying whoever wins will do so with a very slight margin. Yakubu Dati, the Plateau Commissioner for Information, has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari will win 100 percent votes in the state. This was just as a former governor of Plateau State and Senator representing Plateau North, Jonah Jang, boasted that the state will deliver two million votes for the PDP presidential flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, today.

    “I assure you that Plateau will vote Buhari 100 per cent this time around. President Muhammadu Buhari is going to win Plateau State this time around because of the steps he has taken to strengthen the state. As I speak with you, more than 5,000 rice farmers have been empowered with farming implements and seedlings. The school feeding programme is ongoing, safety nets programmes are also there. People are benefiting at the grassroots level. We are also benefitting directly because Mr. President, for the first time, when we had crisis, he and the vice-president came,” Dati said.

    But Jang, who is not seeking a return to the Senate, insisted that the APC in the state will lose today’s election to the opposition PDP. “Since 1999, no PDP presidential candidate had ever lost an election in Plateau State, and failure will not start in 2019. I want to urge Plateau people that during the forthcoming presidential polls, the PDP Presidential flag bearer should get two million votes in the state,” the former governor boasted..

    And ahead of today’s presidential election, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Plateau had urged its members to canvas for votes for President Buhari. Dogara Abubakar, the SDP’s chairman and Alpha Kapnan, its secretary, said that the resolve to mobilise members for President Buhari came after an agreement by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

    But a coalition of political parties in the state under the auspices of the Plateau Political Parties Forum(PPPF) on Thursday endorsed Atiku of the PDP as their preferred candidate, vowing to deliver the state to the opposition party. Both the PDP and the APC can boast of presence in all the corners of the state. While the APC formed the state government, the PDP represents two of its three senatorial districts. So, the political climate in Plateau State is as uncertain as it was in 2015. To most observers, the presidential race might be neck and neck.

     

    KOGI STATE

    In 2015, Buhari surprisingly won the presidential election in Kogi State, polling 60.3 % of total votes cast. At a time when the state was in the firm control of a PDP administration, it came as a surprise. But today, the story is queerly different. While the state is now controlled by Buhari’s party, pundits say the people may not repeat the same enthusiasm that saw them voting for APC in 2015.

    Aside from the obvious fact that the PDP in Kogi State may have shaken off their slumbering and ready to do serious political battle to return to prominence, the APC will have to first wriggle out of its political quagmire for it to make any serious impact in today’s election. It is left to be seen if the party has actually done that. Kogi is a state many observers are watching keenly as PDP confronts APC today in a battle for political superiority.

    The ghost of the late Governor Abubakar Audu is still haunting APC and Governor Yahaya Bello, who has tried to re-write history after benefitting from Audu’s mandate. Out of the three senatorial districts, APC remains solid in Kogi Central, which is largely populated by the governor’s Ebira kinsmen. There had been a few protests against Bello in the Central District but the governor has engaged in arm-twisting and outright political witch-hunting to retain his grip. But the party needs extra salesmen to regain the confidence of Kogi East (Audu’s fortress) in the next strands of election. The management of the aftermath of Audu’s death – including the hounding of his son – looks set to hurt the ruling party.

    Most retired civil servants/ teachers (pensioners) are from Kogi West and in the last three and a half years, they have gone through hell trying to collect their gratuities and pensions. The same Kogi West secured the deputy governorship slot but its candidate, Hon. James Faleke, was uncomfortable with the power equation. Faleke’s loyalty to Audu appeared to be a “wise” decision because he would have ended being a glorified deputy in a despotic Bello government.

    The tactical senatorial nominations of Jibrin Echocho (APC candidate for Kogi East) and Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West) have, however, succeeded in bridging the gaps between the ruling party and the people of the state. Also, the travails of Senator Dino Melaye have left the Kogi West with no alternative than to shop for an amenable candidate in Adeyemi in order to get value for their votes.

     

    BENUE STATE

    Up until a few weeks ago, many had thought that the presidential race between APC and PDP in Benue State is predictable. While many had considered the security challenges faced by the state in recent times and predicted a victory for PDP, some others have examined the leanings of major political gladiators in the state and announced that APC will poll more votes than PDP in today’s election. But today, most analysts agree that the election in the state can go either way.

    Governor Samuel Ortom has capitalised on the farmers-herders crises as a weapon to secure his second term ticket. The anti-Fulani sentiments in the state have grown to the extent that President Buhari and APC are despised. Ortom went a step further to apologise to the people of the state for leading them to APC in 2015. The joining of forces by Ortom and ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam, who has an axe to grind for being put on trial for alleged corruption by the APC administration, has made the PDP more formidable.

    The scenario in the state is being monitored because the three senators from the state, who are leaders with massive support in the grassroots, are treading different political paths. They are Senator David Mark (Benue South); Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue North-East) and Senator George Akume (Benue North-West). While Akume is sticking to APC, Mark remains in PDP with his ally ex-Minister Abba Moro now taking his slot, and Gemade is trying his luck in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) after defecting first from APC and then PDP in quick order.

    Of the three senators, only Akume has a herculean task at hand to sell APC to the people of the state who are angry over the consequences of farmers-herders crises. He needs to work harder to retain his senatorial seat for the fourth term since 2007 and to install his political associate, Emmanuel Jime, as the governor of the state. He has a tall order to assert himself as the “political godfather” of the state. As a leader with tremendous goodwill, if Akume succeeds, he will book a place in the Guinness Book of Records as a great politician. Any loss might be the beginning of his political retirement.

     

    NASARAWA STATE

    As the people of the state file out today to vote for the country’s next President, the question on the lips of analysts is whether incumbent President and APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, can break his now age-long electoral jinx in Nasarawa State. The APC flag-bearer has never won elections in Nasarawa state since he has been participating in the presidential race.

    During the 2015 presidential election, the then President Jonathan of the PDP surprisingly won the presidential election in Nasarawa State, defeating Buhari, who was widely tipped to win the state. It was a surprise because the state was seen by many as a stronghold of Buhari’s given the presence of many of his associates in the state. Not even the widespread opinion that Governor Tanko Al-Makura has done well in office helped.

    He also lost the state in 2011 when he contested on the platform of the Congress for Progressives  Change (CPC). While the CPC’s governorship candidate, Umar Tanko Al-Makura, the incumbent governor, won the gubernatorial election, Buhari could not get enough votes to defeat Jonathan in the state. Not a few analysts are saying that the APC will have to do more than enough to change the status quo today.

    Al-Makura’s decision to stamp his feet and allow power to shift from Nasarawa South District to Nasarawa North District for fairness and equity has deflated the anticipated winning formula of the opposition. This has in turn shored up the popularity of the ruling party in the north where the PDP held sway before now. This is expected to impact in favour of President Buhari in the presidential election. The harmony within the rank and file of APC in the state notwithstanding, it is still uncertain if Buhari can floor Atiku in the state.

     

    ADAMAWA STATE

    Adamawa, since 1999, remained a PDP threshold until 2015 when it voted APC. Pundits will say Buhari’s victory in the state back then was aided by the presence of Atiku in the same party with him. But with the President and Atikun today on the ballot on opposing sides, many of the factors that delivered Adamawa to APC in 2015 are no longer applicable. The people of the state are now caught between two choices of producing a home-bred president or voting for their son-in-law Buhari to remain in office.

    For Atiku and the PDP, a lot is now at stake. If he defeats Buhari in Adamawa, he would boost his political profile as primus inter pares in the state. But if Atiku suffers any setback, he would join the league of the likes of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who lost in his home state. Being an indigene of the state who once won its governorship election before being selected as Vice President by former President Olusegun Obasanjo is an added advantage for Atiku in today’s contest.

    On the other hand, the performance of Governor Jibrilla Bindow in office has added value to Buhari’s campaign. Also, the nomination of game changers like Senator Binta Mashi and Hajiya Aishatu Ahmed Binani and other mobilisers at the grassroots have made winning the state an uphill task for Atiku. But the two camps stand equal chances of carrying the day, according to pundits.

    Other prominent politicians Buhari and his party will be banking on to swing the votes their across the state today include former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd); a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu  and the President’s in-law, Dr. Halilu Modibbo, among other numerous elected and appointed political office holders across the state.

    For Atiku, he will be relying on a strong, tested and trusted political machinery with tentacles across the nooks and crannies of the state that has aided his hold on the politicos of the state for decades now. Though his recent return to PDP has seen some of his associates turn their back on him, it is still largely believed that his political structure is strong enough to deliver the votes for him.

    Our findings show that the governorship candidate of PDP, Umaru Fintiri, popularly called “The ATM” by civil servants due to the prompt payment of salaries when he was Acting Governor of the state, has made the turf tougher. Fintiri is giving Bindow an electioneering headache because of ‘the ATM perception’. The governor, for his part, has been prudent and he has performed creditably better than most of his successors.

     

    AKWA IBOM

    At no time had the PDP’s control of the politics of the state been threatened as it is today. The contest between Buahri and Atiku today will determine how the rest of the polls will go in the state,  pundits say. Since 1999, the oil-rich state has been voting for the PDP till date. Whether that will change today is left to be seen. The defection of former Governor Godswill Akpabio to the APC changed the political narratives in the state.

    As it is, both APC and PDP are laying claim to the state as a stronghold. But political signals indicate that President Buhari may carry the day. This is based largely on the political acceptance being enjoyed across the state by Akpabio. Since he left the PDP, he has resisted several attempts to undermine his popularity. Many analysts say his performance while in office as governor is still speaking for him.

    Going by recent political events in the state, it is very convenient to say both the PDP and the APC are well rooted in the nooks and crannies of the state, no thanks to the political division between Akpabio and Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel. The  politics of the state is now symbolised by a sharp division of the people into PDP supporters and APC supporters.

    The competition between the two political parties is further heightened by the fact that both Akpabio and his former godson, Emmanuel, will be on the ballot paper as candidates in this year’s general elections but on the platform of different political parties. While Emmanuel is seeking to be re-elected as the governor of the state, Akpabio wants to remain in the Senate as the representative of the people of Akwa-Ibom northwest.

    In 2015, the duo worked together as PDP candidates and won in convincing manners. This time around, their camp is divided and they are at loggerheads politically. Thus, Akpabio and the APC will be relying on the former governor’s political machinery across the state, aided by the political influence of other APC chieftains like Umanah Umanah, Nsima Ekere (a former deputy governor), John Akpan Udoedehe, Don Etiebet, Ime Umana, Group Capt. Sam Ewang (Rtd), among others, to carry the day.

    For Emmanuel and the ruling PDP who will be entering the ring without the statewide support they enjoyed from Akpabio’s camp in 2015, their major strength will lie in the power of incumbency and the ability to showcase the achievements of the current administration to the people of the state.

    Across the three senatorial districts of Uyo (Akwa-Ibom northeast), Ikot Ekpene (Akwa-Ibom northwest) and Eket (Akwa-Ibom south), political analysts, candidates, party chieftains and the voters are daily coming up with permutations on how the governorship elections would be won and lost by the two leading political parties, PDP and APC, and their governorship candidates, Emmanuel and Ekere respectively.

    Akwa Ibom has 31 local government areas. While Eket, where both Emmanuel and Ekere hail from, has 12 local government areas, Akpabio’s Ikot Ekpene boasts of 10 council areas. The remaining nine are found in Uyo District where former Governor Victor Attah and Umanah hail from. At the last count, there are 1,837, 767 registered voters in the three senatorial districts of the state.

    According to very reliable political permutations, the PDP and APC will keenly contest for the votes of the people of Akwa-Ibom South Senatorial District. It is unclear who is likely to win the zone between the two leading parties given the parity in popularity of both in the area. The APC is most likely to sweep the votes in Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District where Senator Akpabio is the undisputed leader.

    The Northeastern Senatorial District is another battleground where both APC and PDP will slug it out evenly. However, pundits say with Umanah supporting Ekere, the APC may slightly outperform PDP in the zone, slightly because Uyo is also the seat of government and Emmanuel has many of his people resident there. While Umanah’s popularity in Uyo will aid APC, PDP should benefit from the votes of government functionaries and their people.

     

    OGUN STATE

    In Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s state, the presidential contest will surely be unusually interesting.  This is just as pundits say for the APC, the result will be better than it was in 2015 when the APC defeated PDP by a hundred thousand votes. Buhari polled 308, 290 votes, while former President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP took 207, 950 out of 559, 613 total votes cast. According to formal results announced, Buhari won in 13 local governments, while PDP won in 7 local government areas.

    In spite of the support currently being enjoyed by Atiku and the PDP from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Buhari will still win the presidential election in the state convincingly. Given the fact that Buhari’s candidature has been adopted by about four other political parties aside his APC in the state, the President looks set to confirm his acceptance in the state.

    With the APC and APM in the state working towards the victory of President Buhari, and the two factions of the PDP unable to come together and galvanise their members towards the presidential election, the APC is looking good to win the presidential election in the state even with a wider margin than it posted in 2015.

    Notwithstanding the support of former President Obasanjo for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, investigations show that the APC candidate, President Buhari, stands the chance of winning the presidential election in the state with convincing margin. This is because in spite of the unusual political ripples, APC’s candidate evidently enjoys massive support from the state.

    The Federal Government’s attention to major roads in the state, including the Sagamu-Ikorodu road and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is also swaying support for APC across the state. Also, Buhari’s decision to immortalise the late Chief MKO Abiola, an indigene of Ogun, by declaring June 12 as the nation’s Democracy Day, remains a political move well aimed. It has endeared him to the elites in the state and it is expected to help him garner some votes across the state.

    Similarly, numerous artisans and traders across the state who benefitted from the Tradermoni scheme are helping Osinbajo to propagate the candidates of the ruling party just as many youths now enjoying under the N-Power employment scheme in the state, are poised to reward the APC by voting for Buhair today. It is for these reasons that analysts concluded that though the election will be dramatic, the APC looks good to win.

     

    EDO STATE

    President Buhari of the APC will win the presidential election today in Edo State convincingly. His victory, of course, will surprise many observers. This is because he will garner good votes in areas he hitherto would have done badly ordinarily. The change in his political fortune in places like Edo Central is as a result of certain factors that were not available before now.

    One, President Muhammadu Buhari will easily garner the majority of votes in Edo State given the popularity of his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress, across the state. The APC’s political hold on the state, from the days of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who is now its National Chairman, supported by the rave reviews currently being enjoyed by Governor Godwin Obaseki, should work in the party’s favour.

    Before the 2015 general elections, the PDP could boast of pockets of strongholds in the Southern Senatorial District of the state, but all that faded with the defeat of the party by APC that year. However, some observers say a pocket of opposition may arise today, largely from revenue touts and their godfathers who have been having a running battle with Governor Obaseki over revenue collection across the district, especially in Oredo council.

    The death of PDP strongman and former political leader of the state, Chief Tony Anenih, late last year, may have completed the demystification of PDP in a state it controlled for nearly 12 years before Oshiomhole took over.

    Also, the decision of Governor Obaseki to hearken to the clarion call on him by the people of Edo Central, to extend developmental projects their way will be rewarded by the people of the area today as they change their age-long voting pattern and embrace the APC. It is a widespread belief in the area that unlike Oshiomhole who abandoned the area while in office, Obaseki has carried out numerous developmental projects in Edo Central.

    To also shore up the chances of the APC in Edo Central, many supporters of the late Anenih have joined the APC and are now working hard for the victory of President Buhari in the area today.

  • Buhari urged justify integrity through credible polls

    A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to put his integrity to work by being faithful to his promise to ensure free, fair and credible Presidential and national assembly elections on Saturday.

    He said the President must also demonstrate his strong resolve for a united Nigeria and prove to the whole world that he is really in charge of affairs in the country by working his talks as contained in his nationwide broadcast on Thursday.

    In a statement made available to The Nation, Frank said: “It is good that President Buhari has once again pledged to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible. That is what Nigerians and the world expect of him at this time save for the fact that those who are out to frustrate and rig the elections on his behalf are people he supervises directly.

    “If the President is serious with his promise, let him stop the security agencies, especially the police, military and the DSS from intimidating and harassing Nigerians especially opposition party leaders as we count down to the first election tomorrow.

    “If the President is serious with his promise, let him stop illegal arrests and disruption of voting anywhere across the country by security agencies.

    “If the President is serious on his promise to guarantee a credible election, let him withdraw his men mounting undue pressure on INEC officials to help him win re-election by fraudulently allocating unearned votes to the APC.

    “If the President is serious, let him warn the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, all National Commissioners of INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioners, staff and all adhoc staff of the agency to abide by their oath of office which is to put Nigeria first above personal and selfish gain during these elections.

    “If the President wants Nigerians and the world to take him serious, let him stop the evil being plotted to disable GSM and internet signals nationwide in order to frustrate voters and election observers from communicating, sharing information and comparing notes.”

    He urged the President to emulate former President Goodluck Jonathan whose commitment to democratic ideals led to a highly acceptable electoral outcome in 2015 and a peaceful transmission of power to the then opposition APC.

    He insisted that Nigerians will only believe his “free and fair elections’ promise if the election is conducted in an atmosphere devoid of intimidation, harassment, violence and rigging by the APC, INEC and security agencies.”

  • I’m still with APC, says Gumbi

    A chieftain and strong pillar of the All Progressives Congress in Sokoto state, Abubakar A.A. Gumbi has denied defecting to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).

    Gumbi, who contested the governorship primaries from Wamakko local government and close political associate of Senator Aliyu Wamakko, said he has no alternative political platform to APC.

    Rumour of his defection rocked Sokoto on Thursday especially at the Giginya township stadium venue of the opposition PDP grand finale rally.

    Speaking with our correspondent on phone on Friday, Gumbi said:” I stand to gain more in APC politically than quitting it. I have invested my political popularity and ideas in the party and cannot wake up overnight and say I dump the party.

    “All those peddling the rumour and figment of their imagination are doing so to cause confusion and satisfy their antics.

    “It is the work of the opposition which is fast drowning in the state.

    “I therefore call on Sokoto people to ignore the baseless and unfounded cheap political misgiving.”

    Gumbi further urged Sokoto people to vote wisely for the party’s candidates while noting President Muhammadu Buhari has done remarkably well in all spheres of the country’s economy.

    “Buhari deserves a second term going by his resilient performance and tenacity for the prosperity of Nigeria and Nigerians infrastructure wise and human capital development,” he pointed out.

  • Tough battles for the Senate

    The National Assembly will get new members after tomorrow’s election. Some old hands may also return. Yusuf Alli, Emmanuel Oladesu, Raymond Mordi, Leke Salaudeen, Musa Odoshimhoke, Adamu Sulaiman (Sokoto), Joel Duku (Damaturu), Kolade Adeyemi (Kano), Adekunle Jimoh (Ilorin) and Abdulgafar Alabelewe (Kaduna) report.

    Kogi

    In a state like Kogi, where the ruling APC has been embroiled in crisis, it may be difficult to say who would carry the day. In the Kogi East race, the leading contenders are: Attai Aidoko of the PDP, Victor Adoji of African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Jibril Isa, aka Echocho, of the APC. Aidoko is a sitting senator, while Echocho is a former governorship candidate. Adoji is a tested technocrat. He is popular. But, his party is relatively new.

    It would have been a smooth sail for Aidoko, if he had performed to the expectation of the people. But, the way things stand at the moment, victory is not certain for him this time around. Echocho is a community man, held in esteem by stakeholders. He is a household name in his district. He could yet prevail tomorrow, despite the animosity towards the governor.

    But, the seeming animosity of the people of the area towards the APC administration of Governor Yahaya Bello may work in Aidoko’s favour and earn him a return to the upper legislative chamber.

    In Kogi West, the drama of the shifting political landscape would play out vividly in the zone’s senatorial election. The battle is between Senator Smart Adeyemi and Senator Dino Melaye of the APC and the PDP respectively. During the last general election, Adeyemi, a sitting senator then, contested on the platform of the then ruling PDP and Melaye who flew the banner of the APC, then the main opposition party.

    This time around, there is a reversal of roles, with Adeyemi switching to the APC, while Melaye has equally defected to the PDP. Adeyemi is generally believed to have delivered more democratic dividends to the people while at the Senate.

    Melaye also enjoys the support of the people for being outspoken in the Senate; even though some believe that he usually fights the wrong battle. The perceived anti-government sentiment in the state would also favour him.

    However, he is said to have lost the vital support of the Lokoja/Koto axis, where he received overwhelming support in 2015.

    The contest may be tough in Kogi Central, where Senator Ahmed Ogembe (PDP), Alhaji Yakubu Oseni (APC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Natasha Hadiza Akpoti, are vigorously campaigning for votes.

     

    Kwara 

    The Kwara Central race, where the APC’s Dr Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe is going to slug it out with the PDP’s Senator Bukola Saraki, will be an epic battle. It is going to be a battle between a hitherto solid but now dying political Saraki political dynasty and a mass movement.

    No doubt, the Senate President has a rich political background, but this time he would be contesting against the tsunami that is currently brewing in the Northcentral state. Oloriegbe is a medical doctor and a former World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant.

    The odds are against Saraki, because the people of Ilorin Emirate who have over the years supported him are revolting against him this time around. The tsunami, dubbed oto ge or ‘enough is enough’ would see Saraki being challenged in a free and fair election for the first time.

    The emirate has the largest voting population of the state. The people are apparently fed up with his style of leadership. Little wonder, the masses are not looking at the personality of the APC candidate, but are desirous for a change.

    In Kwara South, the contest seems to have been made easy for the APC candidate Lola Ashiru, because the PDP is in disarray over who should fly its flag in the zone. INEC has declared Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed as the PDP candidate for the race, but the party is insisting that the current Senator representing the district, Dr Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, is its candidate.

    Traditionally, Kwara Southerners are opposed to the political dynasty of the Sarakis. Besides, the victory of the APC in the recent bye-election in Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Isin/Irepodun Federal Constituency confirmed the supremacy of APC in the area. The PDP sought to drop the governor from the senatorial race, soon after the by-election for fear that he could be defeated. But, the INEC said it was too late.

    In Kwara North, it is going to be a battle royale between a serving member of the House of Representatives, Zakari Mohammed of the PDP and Umar Sodiq of the APC. Kwara North people have been close allies of the Sarakis. Mohammed hails from Baruten Local Government Area, while Sodiq, a pharmacist, hails from Kaiama Local Government Area.

     

    Sokoto

    Senator Abdullahi Danbaba Dambuwa (Sokoto South), Senator Ahmed Maccido (Sokoto Central) and Salihu Maidaji (Sokoto East) are contesting on the platform of the PDP, while Abubakar Shehu Tambuwal (Sokoto South), Senator Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir (Sokoto East) and Senator Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto Central) are doing so on the ticket of the APC.

    Wamakko, Gobir and Dambuwa are seeking re-election, but Danbaba who defected from the APC to the PDP created space for Tambuwal to pick the ticket in Sokoto South. Tambuwal and Maidaji are new entrants, while Maccido is a former senator.

    In the eastern zone, Gobir is holding sway for the APC across eight local governments where the party is presumably strong. He will be facing Maidaji of the PDP, who is currently the Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly.

    Tambuwal is a seasoned politician and a former PDP chieftain with massive following in Tambuwal town. He defected to the APC recently and promptly got the ticket. He is believed to be one of the most influential opinion leaders in the town. Tambuwal is up against Senator Danbaba who is also seeking re-election.

    Danbaba defected to the PDP last year with the governor and others. But observers in the zone, which is made up of seven local governments, say the lawmaker did not perform to expectation to deserve a re-election.

    For the Sokoto central zone, Senator Wamakko remains the candidate to beat, because he stands to reap what can best be described as ‘payback votes.’ Maccido, his PDP counterpart is one-time senator who is banking on the bandwagon votes. PDP stalwarts led by Attahiru Bafarawa and Governor Aminu Tambuwal are mobilising the people to vote for all the party’s candidates.

     

    Yobe

    In Yobe State, the APC is confident that it will win the three senatorial seats on Saturday. However, it will be a tough battle for the party to dethrone the incumbent PDP senator from Zone B, Mohammed Hassan who is working tirelessly to be re-elected.

    Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam (APC), who is contesting in Zone A, appears to have no major challenger. He is capitalizing on the weak opposition. The PDP appears to have given up, because it is virtually not engaging the voters in a rigorous campaign.

    Gaidam will however have to contend with former local government chairman, Abbagana Tata (PDP). Tata is also the longest serving PDP chairman in the state. As a result, he has a lot of grassroots support. But, he may not be able to muster enough financial muscle to march that of his opponent, Governor Gaidam.

    In Yobe South, Mohammed Hassan, aka Dembu (PDP), is the current senator representing the zone at the upper legislative chamber. Dembu in 2015 defeated the APC senator in the zone in an aggressive campaign that was largely hinged on tribal and ethnic sentiments. The senator is not a push over, despite the fact that the state is currently governed by the APC. He is said to be well connected to the grassroots, due to his outstanding performance at the Red Chamber.

    Mohammed Ibrahim Bomoi is flying the flag of the APC in Yobe South, otherwise known as Zone C. But he appears to be contesting for the Senate reluctantly, because he was forced to fly the senatorial flag of the party after he was denied the governorship ticket by forces within the fold. The retired billionaire and former Director of Finance at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) does not seem to have the money for the campaign and he is not receiving much support from the party.

    For instance, Bomoi was absent at the party’s rally in his home town, Potiskum. This development has sent a negative signal to the people that he is not seriously in contention for the seat.

    Senator Ahmed Lawan (APC), who is currently the Senate Leader, is the APC flag bearer in Zone C. Lawan will be completing his 20th year at the National Assembly and he still looks sure of being re-elected on Saturday. His stay at the National Assembly and connection to the people leaves him at a vantage position to be re-elected more than his PDP opponent.

    Therefore, the PDP candidate in the zone, Sherriff Abdu, is facing a formidable opponent in the Senate Leader. Abdu was elected twice as chairman of Bade Local Government in the aborted Third Republic on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), and the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999.

    The PDP candidate is counting on his grassroots popularity to dislodge  Lawan tomorrow.

     

    Kaduna

    In Kaduna North, the race is between the incumbent Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi of the PDP and Suleiman Abdu Kwari of the APC. Kwari is the immediate past Commissioner of Finance. Indications are that any party that wins the zone in the senatorial election will most likely clinch the governorship seat.

    The odds favour the APC to triumph, because of the Muhammadu Buhari factor and the power of incumbency at the state level. But, other factors also favour the PDP candidate. These are the unwavering influence of two former governors, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, as well as the grassroots mobilisation strength of Hunkuyi himself.

    Though the President is originally from Katsina, he has lived most of life in Kaduna. Not only is President Buhari loved in Kaduna, but he is also ‘worshiped’. Therefore, the Hausa-Fulani dominated Kaduna North zone, where Buhari is favoured to win his re-election bid, is most likely to vote APC in the National Assembly election, especially since the presidential and the National Assembly elections fall on the same day.

    Besides, the sitting Governor Nasir El-Rufai will be giving Kwari’s election his best, not only because the zone will determine who wins the governorship, but also because the governor cannot afford a return of Hunkuyi who while in the APC worked against him, by blocking the $350m loan the state was seeking from the World Bank.

    In Kaduna Central, the election is going to be very interesting. This is because the incumbent Senator Shehu Sani is neither in the ruling APC nor the major opposition party, the PDP. Sani defected to the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) at the peak of his disagreement with Governor El-Rufai.

    But, unlike Senator Hunkuyi, the misunderstanding between Sani and El-Rufai started at the inception of the APC administration. The crisis became irredeemable when Sani, who is the chairman Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Loans, publicly stated that the Senate will not allow the El-Rufai-led administration to access the World Bank loan.

    Sani would be facing Lawal Usman of the PDP and El-Rufai’s annointed candidate, Uba Sani, at the poll. The election will be a unique one, but the Buhari factor will favour Uba Sani against the very popular Shehu contesting on the platform of an unpopular party and the unpopular PDP candidate.

    Though Shehu Sani enjoys high level of support from the grassroots, an average electorate from Igabi, Kaduna North and Giwa local governments where majority of the votes will come from will easily sacrifice him for Buhari’s love. While the votes from Kaduna South, Chikun and Kajuru local governments will not be significant enough for him to emerge victorious, especially since the PDP candidate is favoured by the Atiku factor on those local governments.

    For Kaduna South, neither the Buhari nor the El-Rufai factor will work here. The zone has since inception of El-Rufai’s administration demonstrated resentment to his government. The Deputy Governor, Barnabas Yusuf Bala, is the APC senatorial candidate for the zone. Besides, the zone did not vote the APC in 2015 and there is no sign they will change their mind this time. This is a plus for the incumbent Senator Danjuma La’ah.

     

    Kano

    Before the latest political development that saw the cross-carpeting of some political heavyweights between the two major parties, all the three senators representing Kano were all in APC. However, with the defection of immediate-past Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso from the APC to the PDP and the return of former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau to the APC, the game has changed. Shekarau is the APC flag bearer for Kano Central.

    So, there is no doubt the PDP is on the verge of losing influence with the entrance of Shekarau in the senatorial contest. Shekarau is two-time governor of the state. Since 2003 when he defeated Kwankwaso as an incumbent governor, Malam as Shekarau is fondly called, has become a political nightmare to Kwankwaso.

    Though Kwankwaso is not re-contesting the senatorial seat, he planted one of his political godsons, Aliyu Sani Madakin Gini, as the PDP candidate for Kano Central. However, pundits have described Madakin’s candidature, as a ladder to victory for Shekarau, as the House of Representatives member, cannot, in any way, withstand Shekarau’s political weight.

    In Kano South, Senator Kabiru Gaya, a former governor in the aborted Third Republic on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) and a fourth-timer at the Red Chamber, is sure to represent Kano South district again, going by his political pedigree. He is going to slug it out with Alhaji Abdullahi Sani Rogo of the PDP. Rogo, a former political associate of Malam Shekarau, is now one of the chieftains of the Kwankwasiyya Movement.

    During Shekarau’s tenure as governor, between 2003 and 2007, Rogo was one of the powerful members of Shekarau’s cabinet; he manned the juicy Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. That was the first time Rogo appeared in Kano’s political scene. Since then, Rogo has been cross-carpeting from one party to the other in search of political fortune. Now that he has been favoured by Kwankwaso with a PDP senatorial ticket, political analysts continue to wonder how Rogo will be able to defeat Senator Gaya, with his wealth of experience and influence within and outside Kano’s political landscape. More so, Gaya is known to be a close political ally to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the sitting governor.

    In Kano North, the sitting Senator, Barau Jibril, is seeking to return to the Red Chamber on the ticket of the APC. Senator Jubril was a member of House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003 when he chaired the House Committee on Appropriation. He was in the House of Representatives under the platform of the PDP. After 2003, he left the political scene, but re-emerged in 2015 as the senator representing Kano North, after he defeated the influential Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo of the PDP, who had been in the Senate from 1999 to 2015.

    Come this Saturday, the eloquent and outspoken Senator Barau Jubril will be challenged by Ahmed Garba Bichi of the PDP. Ahmed Garba Bichi is not a small fry politically. During the tenure of the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, he served as Minister of State for Commerce and Industry. A close political ally to Kwankwaso and one of the powerful chieftains of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Bichi contested against Malam Ibrahim Shekarau in the 2007 governorship election in Kano, where Shekarau defeated him with a narrow margin.

    The contest between Bichi and Senator Barau Jubril is expected to be very fierce, keen and hot as Kwankwaso’s influence will also play a major role in the contest, to his favour. However, Governor Ganduje, who comes from the Kano North zone, is likely to lend a helping hand to the effort of his political loyalist and right-hand man.

     

    Edo

    Former House of Representatives member, Abubakar Momoh, is the PDP candidate for Edo North. He will slug it out with Senator Francis Alimikhena of the APC. Alimikhena is the current occupier of the seat. The two candidates are formidable, but the APC candidate would bank on the existing structure and the popularity it currently enjoys.

    Alimikhena has promised to retire Momoh from politics. He said Momoh is mocking himself by claiming he executed projects which cannot be verified.

    The contest for Edo South is between Matthew Urhoghide of the PDP and Patrick Obahiagbon of the APC. The two personalities are very popular; it is believed that the contest will be keen. The candidates have equally distinguished themselves in public service. Obahiagbon is renowned for his commitment to comic performance, which many say has endeared him to the grassroots.

    In Edo Central, Patrick Ikharhiale of the APC will slug it out with John Inegbedion of the PDP. Esanland is known to be the stronghold of the PDP. Inegbedion secured victory for the PDP in the 2015 election. Esanland is the home turf of Chief Tony Anenih and other notable politicians. They used to be in firm control of the area. But, with the death of Anenih,, things have changed. Governor Godwin Obaseki has in recent times focused on the district, implementing projects and wooing the district to the APC. Saturday will see of the people of the area are appreciative of his efforts.

     

    Delta

    In Delta South, James Manager of the PDP is going to test his popularity for the fifth time. So, he will do everything possible to prove skeptics wrong, by winning the election. But, he has a formidable opponent in the person of former Governor Emmanuel Udaughan. The former governor who is contesting on the APC platform is favoured by the opinion polls.

    Uduaghan’s vision and plan for Delta South touched the Niger Delta region; this has further endeared him to the people. He carried out developmental projects in the zone when he was governor, which is likely to boost his chances.

    In Delta North, Doris Uboh of the APC will battle the incumbent Senator Peter Nwaoboshi of the PDP. Nwaoboshi has all the aces.

    In the Delta Central zone, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of the APC will face Evelyn Oboro-Ojokoro of the PDP. Omo-Agege has been in the eye of the storm during the current session at the National Assembly. He is quite popular and likely to emerge victorious at the election.

     

    Akwa Ibom

    In Akwa Ibom Northwest district, which is also known as the Ikot Ekpene zone, former Governor Godswill Akpabio is the APC flag bearer. He will contest against Christopher Ekpenyong of the PDP.

    Akwa Ibom South it is a battle between Nelson Effiong of the APC and Dr. Akon Eyakenya of the PDP.

    In Akwa Ibom Northeast, Bassey Etim of the APC will challenge Bassey Akpan of the PDP.

     

    Anambra

    In Anambra Central, Senator Victor Umeh of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) will confront Senator Uche Ekwunife of the APC and Charles Odunukwe of the PDP.

    The race for the Anambra South seat will feature Nicholas Ukachukwu of APGA, Senator Andy Uba of the APC and Chris Uba of the PDP. Capital Oil boss Ifenayi Ubah is the candidate of the Young Peoples Party (YPP).The battle will be very interesting, given that the Uba brothers have been in the game of over the years.  In the North District, Senator Magi Okadigbo of APC and Mrs. Stella Oduah of PDP will slug it out on poll day.

     

    Oyo

    In Oyo South, three eminent politicians would slug it out. They are Governor Abiola  Ajimobi of the APC, Chief Bayo Lawal of the PDP  and the incumbent senator, Soji Akanbi who is contesting on the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    Ajimobi is a veteran in Oyo politics. He came to the limelight in 2003 when he was elected a senator representing the zone on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

    In 2007, he contested the governorship election under the umbrella of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) but lost the election. He contested again on the platform of APC and was elected in a keenly contested election.

    Lawal was a retired Group Captain in Nigeria Air Force. Apart from being a PDP chieftain, his political experience is sketchy. He won the party’s senatorial ticket in a shadow election. He polled 461 votes to defeat his rival and former Deputy Governor, Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi who scored 66 votes.

    Akanbi is currently representing the zone in the Senate. He was elected on the platform of APC in 2015, but dumped the party and joined the ADC. He decided to leave the APC following the insistence of Governor Ajimobi to return to the Senate.

    In Oyo Central, former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, of the APC will slug it out with the incumbent senator representing the zone, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu of the ADC, Bisi Ilaka of the PDP and Tope Olatoye of the ADP.

    Folarin was a two-term senator. He contested and won the senatorial seat to represent Oyo Central in 2003 at the age of 39 on the platform of the PDP. He was re-elected for second term in 2007 on the same platform. Folarin remains the only legislator from Oyo State who has served two terms at the Senate. During his second tenure, he was appointed Senate Leader.

    Folarin contested for the governorship on the ticket of the PDP in 2014, but he lost the election to the incumbent Governor Ajimobi. He defected to the APC in December 2017. He is a ranked traditional chief, the Laguna Olubadan of Ibadanland.

    Sunmonu was elected to the Senate on the platform of the APC, but he dumped the party in 2018 and declared for the ADC. She was the former Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly. She and Ilaka hail from Oyo town. They will share the four local governments in Oyo zone.

    For Oyo North, the incumbent, Senator  Abdulfatai Buhari of the APC will slug it out with Mrs Mulikat Akande-Adeola of the PDP and Bayo Lawal of the ADC.

    Buhari will rely on the goodwill of his constituents and good representation in his first term. Of all the three senatorial candidates of APC in Oyo State, it was only Buhari that emerged unopposed, a similar feat he enjoyed in 2015. He was the only senator whose election was not challenged at the tribunal. He established information and communication centres in all the 13 local governments in the senatorial zone. He also built Information Centre for Technology (ICT) centres for the conduct of JAMB examinations in four locations in the zone.

    Akande-Adeola was a former Majority Leader, House of Representatives. She represented Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South and Orire Federal Constituency from 2007 to 2015.  She lost election for a third term in 2015.

    Lawal hails from Oke-Ogun zone. He is a prominent member of Oke-Ogun Progressive Movement (OPM). He was a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state under the administration of the late Alhaji Lam Adesina. He will be banking on support from Oke-Ogun communities to realise his ambition.

     

    Lagos

    The Lagos Central senatorial seat will be a straight fight between the incumbent Senator Oluremi Tinubu of the APC and Mr. Adesunbo Onitiri of the PDP. Senator Tinubu is serving her second term on the platform of the APC. An educationist, administrator, philanthropist and Officer of the Order of Niger (OON), she was the exemplary First Lady of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, during which period she founded the New Era Foundation; a non-profit organisation dedicated to youth development, girl-child education, women empowerment and inspiring young people to excellence.

    As senator, she hosts quarterly town hall meetings with her constituents to render accounts of her stewardship and obtain feedbacks on their developmental needs. She has sponsored bills to provide security for elderly citizens; seek the amendment of Labour Act; to enhance employment opportunities for women and a bill to provide special economic assistance to Lagos State in view of its status as a former capital city and the commercial capital of Nigeria.

    She has impacted positively on her constituents through her constituency development initiative such as scholarship awards; provision of maintenance grants for senior citizens and sponsorship of Youth Empowerment and Skills acquisition Scheme.

    Onitiri is not a neophyte in politics. He played a significant role in the struggle for democracy, especially during the June 12, 1993 struggle. He obtained the historic landmark judgment of June 12 that enabled the election to hold on June 12. He organised the Epetedo  Declaration along with the late Prince Ademola Adele and the late Senator Wahab Dosunmu in which the winner of June 12 presidential election, the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola re-claimed his mandate.

    Onitiri, General Secretary of Lagos Elders Council, said he decided to contest the senatorial seat to change many obsolete laws that still exist in nation’s statute books for good governance. He said the 1999 Constitution, as amended, did not give room for true democracy to survive in the country.

    In Lagos West district, the incumbent Senator Solomon Adeola (a.k.a. Yayi) is the APC candidate. He is seeking a second term at the red chamber. He was elected senator in 2015 on the platform of the APC. Prior to his senatorial election, Adeola was a member of Lagos State House of Assembly from 2003 to 2011 and House of Representatives from May2011 to May 2015. In the Senate, he’s the Vice Chairman of Communications Committee. He served as Chairman of Public Accounts in the House of Representatives among others.

    The PDP candidate is 35-year old Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour. He is a greenhorn in politics. He said he is in the race to represent the Lagos West in the Senate to show his constituents what true representation looks and feels like. He said: “I am running to fight for you, to ensure that you get all that is due to you.”

     

    Ondo

    The Ondo North senatorial seat is a straight fight between the incumbent Senator Ajayi Boroffice of the APC and Dr Tunji Abayomi of Action Alliance (AA).

    Boroffice was first elected as senator in 2011 on the platform of Labour Party and later decamped to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on December 28, 2011, so that he can pursue his governorship ambition. He was re-elected as senator in 2015 on the platform of APC.

    Abayomi, the AA candidate, was a staunch member of the APC in Ondo State. He was one of the aspirants that contested for the APC governorship candidate along with Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Boroffice in 2016.

    Following the unresolved internal crisis that rocked the APC senatorial primary for Ondo North, Abayomi left the party. He claimed to have won the APC ticket to represent Ondo North at the upper legislative chamber. He also alleged that the national leadership of the party gave the ticket to Senator Boroffice at his expense.

    Abayomi, a legal practitioner and human right activist, said: “In keeping with long standing determination to fight for my right, I will run for the senate in Ondo North Senatorial Zone on the platform of Action Alliance since the national leadership of APC has unconstitutionally blocked my chance by forcing its candidate on us all.”

     

    Osun

    The immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun State Dr Ajibola Basiru is the APC standard bearer for Osun Central Senatorial District. He also served as Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties under the administration of Rauf Aregbesola . He was a member of the AD and remained in the party through its metamorphosis to Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now APC.

    Basiru has articulated agenda for the people of Osun Central. He promised continous consultation with the constituents; sponsorship of beneficial bills; establishment of skills /vocational training centres across the senatorial zone; annual employability/career training /Job Fair for graduates in the senatorial district to ensure that our graduates are not only qualified but employable.

    His promise also include facilitation of a Tech/ICT Hub for youth in the district; annual medical outreach/ health awareness programmes; creation of Food Bank for the district; Ajibola Basiru’s water project; Bill to establish  a Federal Medical Centre in Osun Central and an all-inclusive qualitative representation at the senate.

    The former Osun State Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Gani Ola-Oluwa is the senatorial candidate for Osun Central.  He defeated other aspirants with intimidating credentials such Chief Kola Ogunwale who was in the Senate between 2003 and 2007 and Alhaji Fatai Diekola, a PDP chieftain in the state. Ola-oluwa served as Special Adviser on Special Duties to former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola before he became Chairman, Olorunda Local Government in 2007.

    Ola-Oluwa candidacy is being threatened by a suit seeking his disqualification over lack of requisite qualification to stand for senatorial election.  The matter is still pending before the Federal High Court, Osogbo.

    In Osun East (Ife/Ijesa), House of Representatives member Ajibola Famurewa of the APC is the candidate to beat. He has the backing of Senator Iyiola Omisore, who is backing the APC.

     

    Ekiti

    The contest for Ekiti South senatorial seat is between the Senate Minority Leader and PDP senatorial candidate, Senator Abiodun Olujimi and Prince Adeyeye of the APC.

    Olujimi is an experienced politician. She started her political career in 1997 when she joined her husband in politics as the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct NCPN. She moved to All Peoples Congress (APC) also as publicity secretary.

    She joined the PDP in 2002 which marked the beginning of her elevation in politics. In 2003, she was appointed Special Assistant by former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose. From there, she was elected as member, House of Representatives. She became Deputy Governor in 2005. In 2015, she contested for the senatorial seat to represent Ekiti South and she won . She was deputy Minority Whip and later Minority Leader.

    Former Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye is the APC senatorial candidate. He emerged as a consensus candidate. Adeye defected from the PDP to APC prior to July 14, 2017 governorship election to support Dr Kayode Fayemi.

    Adeyeye was a pro-democracy activist and a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). He was Director of Publicity, Falae for President Campaign Organisation (1990-1992. He was adviser on policy and press matters, M.K.O. Abiola for President Campaign Organisation  (1993), spokesman for Alliance for Democracy (AD) and a member of the Southwest Delegation to the Nigerian Leaders of Thought Conference.

    In 2006, he was a governorship aspirant in Ekiti on the platform of AD in which Fayemi emerged as the governorship candidate. Adeyeye and other 12 aspirants defected to the PDP.  Again, in 2018, he declared interest to contest Ekiti governorship seat under PDP. He lost to Kolapo Olusola-Eleka considered as Fayose’s anointed candidate.

    In Ekiti central, Obafemi Adewale, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, is contesting on the platform of the PDP. Former House of Representatives member Oyeyemi Bamidele is the APC flag bearer. In the North, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi is the candidate of the APC.

     

    Ogun

    Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun is the APC candidate for Ogun Central Senatorial District. The state chapter of the party had been enmeshed in internal crisis following the governorship primary that produced Prince Dapo Abiodun as the candidate of the party, against the preferred choice of the governor, Adekunle Akinlade who had been chosen as the party’s consensus candidate before the primary.

    After the primary, conducted by the electoral committee from the National Working Committee, in which his candidate lost, the governor had protested against the outcome. But in a bid to pacify the governor and end the crisis, the party gave him three senatorial slots and a Rep position.

    Despite the efforts to pacify him, Amosun had directed his loyalists to leave APC andjoin APM. His anointed candidate, Akinlade is the APM governorship candidate in Ogun State. Amosun accepted the APC senatorial ticket for Ogun Centraland has been on the field canvassing for votes. But he has vowed to work against the APC governorship candidate in the state.

    The First female Speaker of the Ogun State Hous of Assembly, Mrs Titi Oseni-Gomez will slug it out with Amosun. She is contesting on the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC). She was adopted as consensus candidate among other aspirants which included Femi Maje kodunmi and Bisola Sodipo-Clark.

    Oseni-Gomez, who hailed from Abeokuta South, ventured into politics in 1999. She was elected Speaker on June 4, 2013 on PDP platform.

    The PDP flag bearer for Ogun Central Senatorial District is Apostle Solomon Abiodun Sanyaolu.

     

    Benue:

    Benue is a state to watch. This is because of the pre-election defections and flexing of muscles by APC and PDP leaders.

    There are three zones in the state. Zone A is made up of Lago, Katsina-Ala and Ukum. The zone has produced three senators-Prof. Hagher, Prof. Daniel Sasor and Brg-Gen. Akaagaga.

    Konshigha, Vandekaiya, Kwande and Ushongo are also part of the zone. Ushongo produced David Iornem as senator in 1992 on the platform of the proscribed Social Democratic Party (SDP).

    Former Governor Gabriel Suswan is fro Logo. Senator Barnabas Gemade is from Konshisha. He has been elected twice. He is seeking a third term in SDP.

    The APC candidate is from Kwande. The local government has not produced a senator. Many stakeholders want the senatorial seat to rotate. Elder statesman Paul Nnongo from Kwande is backing the APC candidate.

    Zone B is perceived as the stronghold of Senator George Akume, former governor of the state. It comprise Gboko, Torko, Makurdi and Gwar.

    Akume wants to keep his seat in the Senate. Governor Sam Ortom is interested in a second term. There is rivalry between the two leaders, who parted ways last year. The governor has vowed to stop Akume. He said he would prefer to lose than allow Akume to return to the Upper Chamber.  Also, Akume has vowed to abort Ortom’s second term bid.

    The PDP candidate is no match for Akume. But, Ortom, Senator Iyi=orcha Ayu and other PDP big shots are backing him.

    Zone C is Senator David Mark’s zone. He has handed the baton to his trusted ally, Abba oro, former Interior Minister.

     

    Nasarawa

    The senatorial race appears very keen in Nasarawa State because of its heterogeneous nature. The death of the Emir of Lafia, Alh. Isa Mustapha Agwai, who weilded much political influence and dictated the pace of politics, might change the calculation.

    Read also: Ikpeazu to Abia workers: we’ll pay your salaries promptly

    In Nasarawa South, it is a tough battle between Governor Umar Tanko Al-Makura and the incumbent senator , Suleiman Adokwe. While Adokwe is an Alago, the governor is from a minority ethnic group called Gwandara. The district comprises five local governments: Lafia, Doma, Awe, Obi and Keana. The Alago are in dominance in three of the local governments especially Obi, Keana and Doma. According to a source, “the Alago people always vote along ethnic line. But when the chips are down and they need to consider religious factor, they queue behind a candidate who is a christian.  The only person who could influence their political direction was the late Emir of Lafia.”  To earn the confidence of the voters in this district, Al-Makura has to rely mostly on his spectacular achievements and a deft political strategy to split the votes of the Alago. For Adokwe, he is relying on his background as an Alago and a Christian.

    In the North, the same ethnic consideration may define the race. The Eggon will slug it out for the senatorial ticket with the Mada .  With three candidates from Eggon in the race, the PDP was careful in zoning its ticket to the Mada by picking John Mike Abdul in anticipation that the Eggon will split their votes on Saturday. The other candidates in the race from Eggon are  the present Deputy Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Akwashiki Godiya (APC);  Sam Alu (APGA) and former Minister Patricia Akwashiki(SDP) who once represented the district as a senator .

    In Nasarawa West, it is likely to be an easy ride for ex-Governor Abdullahi Adamu, who is highly respected in the district. His image as the founding father of the state still looms large. He enjoys a cult followership with his simplicity and love for his people. He is seeking a third term  in the Senate. The race looks like a family affair as he is really contesting against his erstwhile son-in-law, Aliyu Tafida of the PDP. The PDP candidate is having it rough because the electorate cannot come to terms with why he would divorce Adamu’s daughter and still go after his senatorial seat. They see it as a “double kill”. As a result, many seem to have sympathy for Adamu.

     

    Adamawa State

    The contest appears tight too in Adamawa State. The PDP Presidential Candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar is from the state and there is enthusiasm among the populace to produce the nation’s leader for the first time. Being a strategist, Atiku has made it clear that he needs a good team in the National Assembly to work with him if elected. Also, President Muhammadu Buhari being an in-law , as the wife Aisha is from the state , has left the voters divided . No one can say for sure who will carry the day between both candidates.

    In Adamawa South, the incumbent,  Sen. Abubakar Mo-Allah of the APC,  will square it up with Dinos Yero of the PDP . Besides Atiku coming from the South, five out of the nine Local Government Areas in the district are predominantly Christians . Yero is a christian and Mo-Allah a muslim. If voters shun religious sentiments, either of them can win.

    As for Adamawa North, the incumbent Sen. Binta Mashi has a date with Elisha Abbo of the PDP. Although there is likelihood that Binta might make it, her greatest obstacle is Nyampa Zakariya, who is the PDP House of Representatives candidate for Michika/ Madagali Federal Constituency. Zakariya’s influence is enormous and could affect vote haul by Binta. But with the weighty support of Governor Jibrilla Bindow(also from Adamawa North), Sen. Binta stands a good chance. Her main asset is what a source described as her “excellent performance.”

    In Adamawa Central, it is a family affair between Hajiya Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) of the APC and her brother-in-law, Murtala Mohammed Modibbo of the PDP.  Hajiya Aishatu was a member of the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015 and she executed far-reaching projects. On his part, the PDP candidate lost election in 2007 and later in 2011 to Hajiya Aishatu before leaving for business in Lagos. Tomorrow,  he confronts  Aishatu again in a rematch. They are both Fulani.

     

    Bauchi

    The old horses are back to the trenches in Bauchi State with ex-Governors Adamu Muazu and Isa Yuguda playing the role of godfathers. In Bauchi  South District, the candidates  vying for the ticket are Ibrahim Zailani/ Sen. Lawal Yahaya Gumau (APC) depending on the final outcome of the court’s decision on the primaries of the party; Alh. Adamu Yakubu Jibrin (APP);  Ayuba Ibrahim (MMN);  Garba Dahiru (PDP);  Aminu Abdullahi (MPN);  Adamu Musa Umar (APM);  Muhammad Lawal (ACD);  Adamu Ibrahim Jibrin (GPN); Muhammad A.A Duguma (JMPP) and Auwal Musa Adamu.

    Findings confirmed that the real battle is between Gumau of the APC and Garba Dahiru of the PDP. Although while Zailani/Gumau are rated higher, the intra-party crisis over primaries might be the undoing of the APC if not well managed. A highly-placed source said: “PDP has a weak candidate but APC should manage their crisis.”

    In the North Senatorial District, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif Gamawa of the PDP is banking on his youthful age and closeness to the grassroots. Nazif( a veteran of many political battles) is contesting  against APC’s Amb. Adamu Bulkachuwa, the husband of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa. The last time Amb. Bulkachuwa was in the parliament was from 1999 to 2003 as a member of the House of Representatives.  Voters in the district may punish Nazif for teaming up with the Senate President Bukola Saraki against President Buhari. Nazif won election into the Senate under the APC but decamped to the PDP with Saraki and others last year.

    The situation is dicey in Bauchi Central District. For Sen. Isa Hamma Misau, representing the district, who was stoned twice by his constituents, it will take the grace of God for him to retain his seat on the platform of PDP. His image as the attack dog of Saraki has diminished his political profile. The real race is between Haliru Dauda Jika (APC) and  Bappa Aliyu Misau of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). A top source said: “From the look of things, the PRP candidate has waxed very strong.  He was denied the ticket in APC and  moved to PRP.

     

    Plateau State

    The game on the plateau is a straightforward one between the ruling APC and the PDP in the three senatorial districts. The Plateau State political environment is still dotted by ethnic factor, minority politics and the pulse of the heavyweights who had been determining the fate of the state in the last 40 years.

    In Plateau North District ,  Hon Rufus Nature  (APC) will go to the ring with Hon  Istifanus  Gyang  ( PDP ). While the PDP candidate is an incumbent member of the House of Representatives,  the APC candidate was Secretary to the State Government ; he resigned to contest the position. Both of them are very strong and so popular  that no one can predict the winner.

    For Plateau Central, a retired Comptroller-General of Immigration Service, David Paradang (PDP), who was booted out office after some applicants died in a stampede during recruitment in some state capitals during the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan,  will take on Hezekiah Dimka (APC). Dimka is a retired Commissioner of Police. According to investigation, both the PDP and APC are well rooted in the district.

    As for Plateau South , it is a battle of wits between Ignatius Longjan of the APC and  Barr Kefas Dandam of the PDP. Findings indicate that the  APC candidate, who is the immediate past deputy governor of the state, is more popular than the PDP  candidate who is relatively unknown.

     

    Taraba

    Despite the fact that Taraba State is a long time stronghold of the PDP, there might be an upset during the National Assembly poll going by discontent in the state. The APC senatorial candidates are  General Ishaya Bauka (South), Sen AA Yusuf (Central) Engr. Ahmed Yusuf (North). The flag bearers of PDP are returnee Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha (South), Bako Gassol (Central), Sen. Shuaibu Lau (North).

    A reliable source, who is familiar with the recent developments in the state, said:  “In PDP, Sen. Bwacha could pull it off.  The other candidates are facing opposition  from the APC..”

     

    Gombe

    The titan of Gombe politics, Sen. Danjuma Goje (APC) will be seeking a revalidation election into the Senate for the third time in Gombe Central Senatorial District after being a governor for eight years. His tenure as the chairman of the Appropriation Committee added more to his robust political profile. As a godfather, he is expected to have an easy ride. Notwithstanding, he faces a challenge from the outgoing Speaker of the State House of Assembly,   Nasiru Nono of the PDP. The hurdles before Goje are limited because his district is made up of only two local governments.

    In Gombe North District, the incumbent Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo (PDP), who is the new game changer, will try his hand on legislative plough by contesting  against Saidu Alkali of the APC. To pave the way for his ticket, the governor swapped with Sen. Bayero Nafada (a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives), who is presently representing Gombe North Senatorial District. Dankwambo conceded governorship ticket to Nafada in exchange for a senatorial ticket. He stands a good chance of winning the ticket because of the unwritten agreement accompanying the swapping.

    Concerning  Gombe South District,  Sen. Binta Bello (PDP) has an electoral  to settle with Col. Ishaka Bulus of the APC. Binta has been in the House of Representatives for a long time which might work against her. The people of the district are yearning for a new hand.

     

    Niger

    The colour of the Senatorial game is principally determined by President Muhammadu Buhari’s tremendous goodwill in the state. Many Emirs in Niger State are also said to be working silently for Buhari and they appeared instrumental to the anointing of some National Assembly and State House of Assembly candidates.

    Those aspiring for APC senatorial tickets in Niger State are Muhammad Bima (Niger South); Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East) and the spokesman for the Senate, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi. Were it not for the backing of some influential Emirs, Abdullahi who was pelted with missiles by his constituents for allegedly taking sides against Buhari in the Senate, would have lost a second term ticket. He will have a jolly ride back to the Senate because of royal backing.

    For the PDP, the senatorial candidates are Baba Shehu Agaie (Niger South); and Sani Duba (Niger North).

    Out of the PDP candidates, only Agaie looks stronger to pose a threat to Bima of the APC but he might still not make it.

     

    Kebbi

    For strategic reasons, the APC decided to give automatic return ticket to all its Senators in Kebbi State. This is a joker which has destabilised the PDP in the state. The APC senatorial candidates are ex-Governor Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central); Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South).

    The PDP candidates are Abubkar Shehu Geda (Kebbi Central); Usman Bala Suru (Kebbi North) and a former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Benjamin Israel Dikki (Kebbi South).

    Although there are some negligible sentiments against Aliero for being in power circle for a while, he remains a revered leader in the state. If APC has any challenge, it is in Kebbi South where Bala Ibn Na’Allah is its candidate. Apart from being rated as unstable in the Senate during the Presidency face-off with the Senate on some issues, Christians dominate his district and he will find it tough coming back. He is also presently distracted by the court case surrounding the APC senatorial primaries in the district. The ex-DG of BPE is too much a match for him.

     

  • Oyo ADP chair joins APC

    Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in Oyo State Chief Folaranmi Owolabi has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Owolabi said he left ADP due to Adebayo Alao-Akala’s overbearing influence, as well as the neglect of the state chapter by the national secretariat, which made them vulnerable. He said he does not regret leaving ADP barely 24 hours to the election.

    The party chieftain vowed to mobilise other defectors to campaign for the victory of APC candidates.

    He said: “Up till yesterday (Wednesday), I was the Oyo State chairman of the ADP, but by the grace of God, I and more than 10,000 members have dumped the ADP for APC.

    “We were the foundation members of ADP; we nurtured the party to become a force, which was what attracted the likes of Otunba Alao-Akala to come and join us. But, sadly till yesterday, the national secretariat has never bothered about the welfare and upkeep of the state chapter; no moral or financial support so far.

    “We have been using our goodwill to nurture the party, but immediately Otunba Alao- Akala joined us last October, he scattered everything. He disrupted the structure he met on ground and he cleverly snatched the party from us.

    “Some of our members who obtained forms to contest the state and national assembly elections were shocked when he came and used his overbearing influence to snatch the tickets for his cronies contrary to his earlier promises. Of the 32 House of Assembly tickets, the former chairman said the party decided to concede 21 to Alao-Akala in deference to his status, while foundation members and Social Democratic Party members who joined were given seven and four tickets respectively.

    “Similarly, he claimed that 10 of 14 House of Representative tickets were given to the ex-governor on arrival at the party but Alao-Akala went to the party’s headquarters in Abuja and substituted 95 per cent of the names.”

    APC chairman Akin Oke, who was represented by his deputy Lekan Adeyemo, received the defectors at the party secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.

    Adeyemo urged the defectors to go to their wards and spread the gospel of better governance, which the ruling party represents.

     

  • APC campaign council urges unity among party leaders

    •‘Vote for Buhari, other APC candidates’

    The Southwest Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged privileged members of the party to close ranks and work for its success in tomorrow’s and next month’s elections.

    This followed reports of anti-party activities in some Southwest states, particularly Ogun and Ondo.

    The council’s Zonal Director Chief Olusola Oke (SAN) said information reaching his office revealed that some privileged and highly placed APC members in Ondo and Ogun states were still holding animosity over the last primary of the party.

    A statement by the spokesman of the campaign council, Rotimi Ogunleye, said the aggrieved members should shun anti-party activities in the interest of the party and the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The campaign council said feelers from outside hinted that the anti-party activities of the privileged individuals were creating confusion in the minds of the majority of the electorate who could hardly distinguish between the ballot papers of the Senate, House of Representatives and President while casting their ballots.

    Also, Oke advised the few privileged APC leaders to think about the danger and damage their actions may cause the party in tomorrow’s elections.

    The campaign zonal director said the actions and anti-APC activities of the individuals were capable of reducing the strength of the party in the zone, especially in Ondo and Ogun states.

     

     

  • Buhari shuts down Katsina for APC rally

    Activities in Katsina state were completely brought to a halt Thursday, thanks to the Grand Finale of the APC Presidential Campaign Rally, as traders and several other activities voluntarily closed shops in other to receive President Muhammadu Buhari and his entourage at the Muhammad Dikko Stadium

    The attendance in Thursday’s Rally at the 30,000 Seater capacity Stadium perhaps surpassed most rallies held in other parts of the Country, including the PDP Presidential campaign Rally held at the same Stadium last week.

    Both inside and outside the stadium, including the lawns and the Car parks were filled to the brim with supporters of the All Progressives Congress

    The National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole described the massive turn out as clear manifestation of the strong confidence Nigerians reposed on Buhari’s Administration.

    He said‘’ Mr. President I am sure and I have every reason to believe that you will feel proud of your people, as this will dismiss the old notion that a Prophet is not honored in his hometown

    ‘’This is indeed the grand finale of the APC Nationwide campaign rallies when PDP started their campaign in Sokoto they thought they had the monopoly of attendance but this have disproved them’’

    Read Also: Thousands troop out in Katsina for Buhari’s campaign

    ‘’Both the Bible and the Quran are unanimous in affirming that by next tomorrow you will be re-elected, Nigerians who have come to appreciate your integrity will troop out in their numbers to re-elect you by Saturday. By Fighting Corruption you are making more friends while the opposition is getting lesser people on their side’’

    Oshiomhole further criticized the PDP for Promising to re-introduced the discredited Structural Adjustment Program SAP, devalue the Naira and other Policies that will draw the Country backwards saying Nigerians will reject them at the Polls

    Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State in his address at the occasion described President Buhari as a man of impeccable Character, who meant well for the common man, he urged the People to vote for the President and candidates for the National Assembly

    In a brief message at the occasion President Buhari said he was overwhelmed by the turnout of supporters and promised to do more to promote the welfare of the common man, improve infrastructural development and Agriculture.

    He said ’’we will not betray your trust and neither shall we let those who betray your trust to go scot-free’’

  • Abdulrazaq to Kwarans: Reject PDP’s candidates

    Kwara state All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has urged the people of the state to reject all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates at the poll.

    “They don’t have anything else for you. Go out on Saturday to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari and all our National Assembly candidates. This is the only way out for us,” AbdulRazaq said at a rally in Pakata area in Ilorin.

    “We must end their misrule this Saturday. Once you vote all our candidates this weekend, we can complete the work on March 2nd,” he added

    Director General of his campaign organisation, Abdulfatai Yahaya Gambari told Kwarans especially APC supporters to shun violence and refuse to be provoked.

    “We are for peace. All we have to do is to use our votes to end the tyranny against our people,” he said at the rally attended by thousands of supporters and locals in the area.

    Lukman Olayiwola Mustapha, a former governorship aspirant, said the antidote to misrule and oppression in Kwara is to vote for all the APC candidates.

    At another rally in Offa on Thursday, AbdulRazaq called for massive support for APC in return for quick socioeconomic development.

    He said the APC government will restore public confidence in government and secure the state — a veiled reference to the security crisis that worsened with the recent armed robbery in Offa where over 30 persons were killed.

    The rallies came a day after AbdulRazaq visited Asa local government area of the state where he pledged to fix the perennial water crisis. He also pledged to tap into the N100bn federal government’s fund meant to help address the challenges faced by the Fulani communities and end clashes with farmers.