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| President Goodluck Jonathan |
The governors are Otunba Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State (South-West), Alhaji Isah Yuguda Bauchi State (North-East), Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State (North-West) and Dr. Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, (North-Central) zones.
However, of these governors, only Daniel will not be seeking re-election as his second term expires on May 29. He, nonetheless, fielded a candidate to succeed him.
High wired political intrigues in Ogun State, denied Daniel a senatorial seat; he had earlier got the Peoples Democratic Party nod to stand as its candidate, but was later stripped through a court order.
Also, his anointed governorship candidate, Mr. Gboyega Isiaka, was also denied the chance to run as the PDP candidate, which compelled him and his group to defect to the Peoples Party of Nigeria.
Two factions of the PDP had held primaries for the governorship election and other elective positions in Abeokuta, the state capital, and weakened Daniel’s political base and that of the party.
A faction loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, led by Chief Dayo Soremi, had elected Chief Adetunji Olurin as its governorship candidate, in a rival primary, which the court later upheld as the authentic one.
Therefore, the scenario in Ogun is that while Daniel’s candidate, Isiaka, will face Olurin backed by Obasanjo, he will also contend with the Action Congress of Nigeria candidate, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
The ACN is being buoyed by the three senatorial seats it won in the state, hitherto occupied by the PDP.
However, the PDP is counting on the result of the presidential poll in the state, in which its standard-bearer, Jonathan, polled 309,177 votes to beat ACN that got, 199, 555 votes, to win the governorship election.
SUNDAY PUNCH findings on Saturday indicated that the PDP had intensified its campaigns to clinch victory.
But Daniel is fighting back; shortly after the National Assembly polls, he met with Jonathan in Lagos, where they discussed how to sustain his support for the presidential election, and might have used the opportunity to negotiate for himself and his camp in the event of losing out completely at the polls.
Daniel in an interview justified his support for Isiaka, saying, “I do not see any possibility of any withdrawal from the race by Isiaka. We can work with any other party that is ready to support him.
“We will be quite excited and the reason is simple: in all our years we stood by the truth, probity and equity.”
In Katsina, the outcome of the presidential election and the National Assembly polls has established the CPC as the party to beat in the governorship and state assembly polls, even though the PDP is the party in power in the state.
Details of the National Assembly election showed that CPC swept all the three senatorial seats in the state. Though Shema alleged that the PDP votes were counted and added to that of the CPC, he would need more than a miracle to win the Tuesday’s governorship election.
The peoples disdain for the PDP was further demonstrated in their vote against the daughter of Yar’Adua, who aspired to come to the House of Representatives.
Besides, the CPC has capitalised on the post-primaries feud in the PDP and the Buhari factor to make inroads into the PDP enclave.
Apparently, Buhari is the most outstanding political figure in the state.
Those who lost their senate seats to the CPC are Senate Majority Whip, Senator Kanti Bello and the Chairman Senate Defence Committee, Senator Ibrahim Ida. Also, the PDP lost 12 House of Representatives seats to the CPC.
Buhari had polled 1,163,919 votes to defeat Jonathan who got 428,392 votes in Katsina State.
The dismal performance of the PDP in the two previous elections has made its supporters realise that Shema’s seeming impressive record as governor might not be enough to sway the electorate to his side on Tuesday.
Further, the CPC supporters feel that since Buhari did not get the presidency, voting the party into power in the state was the only option left for them.
But Shema is not taking things lying low, as he has intensified efforts to win the poll. Last week, he met with different shades of opinion in the state to placate and appeal to them as well as accede to their many demands.
For instance, his government doled out a whopping N250million interest-free loan facility to farmers in the state, just as it approved the distribution of tractors to the farmers in a move aimed at soliciting their votes.
For workers, the governor scrapped promotion examination for civil servants with immediate effect, and 60 per cent of the housing scheme for civil servants.
Also, he approved perks for rural posting, and a review of the bereavement allowance which had been abandoned for over a decade.
Mass promotion of 685 civil servants was also approved, and implemented for officers on Grade Level 13 and above.
Shema said, “We are taking concrete steps to mobilise our people so that they vote for the PDP and watch over their votes to ensure that the votes count for the PDP.”
He stated this shortly after a meeting with labour unions and pensioners in the state.
He boasted, “Insha Allah, the PDP will post a better result in the pending elections.”
In Bauchi State, Yuguda, an in-law to the late president Umaru Yar’Adua is troubled by the CPC waves, though it won one senate seat, just as Buhari got 1,315,209 votes as against 258,404 votes collected by Jonathan.
Yuguda’s problem is also amplified by the fact that he defected from the All Nigeria Peoples Party, on whose platform he won the governorship in 2007, when Buhari was its presidential standard-bearer.
Clearly, his case is that of a general fighting on two fronts at the same time.
Besides, PDP internal wrangling is another headache for Yuguda. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bola Mohammed and Yuguda’s predecessor, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, represent big foes with the party against his re-election.
Despite these odds, Yuguda exudes confidence that he will be re-elected. It was gathered that one of his survival strategies is the ban against political gathering in the state arising from the recent post-electoral violence that rocked some states in the North.
This, according to a source, will not allow CPC members to meet and strategise against the PDP.
Although PDP won more seats in the senatorial election in the state, the CPC performance in the presidential poll might be replicated by its supporters to show that its 1.3million votes in the April 19 election was no fluke.
But despite this seeming gloomy picture, the PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Al Amin Ibrahim, told one of our correspondents that the party was mobilising and reaching out to the grassroots to ensure that those who voted the party to victory during the National Assembly election would do the same during the governorship poll.
The governorship and state assembly polls have been shifted to April 28 by INEC to allow tempers to cool.
Ibrahim said, “Irrespective of what is happening, we are working to ensure victory for the PDP not only in Bauchi State, but other states in the North-East, where he led the presidential campaign. We are re-strategising by using all our stakeholders to reach out to the electorate.”
For Suswan, his case is not as bad as Shema, Daniel and Yuguda as the PDP remained strong in his state as it won the two senatorial seats contested.
But the former governor, George Akume who is now an ACN member, Gen. Lawrence Onoja and Young Alhaji are determined for a showdown with the governor. They allege that the National Assembly elections were rigged, and the outcome therefore, not a reflection of the will of the people.
By Olusola Fabiyi, Sunday Ojeme, and Olamilekan Lartey Courtesy Of: Punch
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