In Katsina, Tata, Lado to take on Masari in 2019
Analysis Even though Governor Aminu Bello Masari has maintained sealed lips over his re-election bid, there are indications that he would have an easy ride in grabbing the ticket of his party, All Progressives Congress (APC), a common trend for incumbents
The APC in Katsina State has since given Masari the greenlight to seek for re-election by openly endorsing him as its sole candidate. Unarguably, it would be difficult for any serious contender in the APC to raise an eyebrow, meaning it is now a seamless world for Governor Masari.
Masari’s great challenge, therefore, will come from the leading opposition party, the People Democratic Party (PDP) which is by the day repositioning to reclaim its lost mandate. The PDP had held sway for 16 uninterrupted years in Katsina.
Perhaps, the PDP’s recently held rally was among the steps taken to re-awaken its members ahead of the new task as candidates are daily springing up within its fold to woo support in carrying its flag in the run-up to 2019 elections.
So far, many candidates have shown interest but two amongst them are the most visible, namely Senator Yakubu Lado Danmarke and Abdullahi Umar Tsauri, popularly called ‘Tata.’
The two are household names in Katsina with enormous resources and vast fellowship at their disposal.
These two candidates have been trying endlessly to outshine each other through jingles, bill boards and graffitis around towns and adjourning roads, showcasing their capabilities and campaign promises. Tata He is a retired civil servant who shot to limelight in 2014, in the run up to the 2015 general elections. His campaign was premised around women and youths whom he so much empowered through his several empowerment programmes.
He was widely believed to have been sponsored by former Vice President Namadi Sambo to checkmate the then Governor Ibrahim Shema, who was alleged to be nursing vice presidential ambition at the time.
During the time under review, Tata had a long political battle with Shema, all in an effort to get the PDP ticket.
On the other hand, Shema favoured his then Commissioner of Resource Development, Musa Nashuni, projected him and did everything in ensuring that he got the PDP ticket.
This angered Tata who out of protest moved to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to pursue his gubernatorial ambition having lost out in the PDP.
Analysts believed that that decision was a “technical error” on the side of Tata on the grounds that the platform he chose, APGA was an alien political party in Katsina.
He is a crowd puller and was therefore massively supported by women and children, an unprecedented feat but short of leading to victory
Analysts believe that his recent return to the PDP is a big boost to his image and political aspiration.
Most importantly, the fact that he has reconciled with Shema is seen as a big boost that may likely give him the gubernatorial seat in the event he secure the PDP ticket during its primaries.
Shema remains a power to reckon with in Katsina, with party leaders saying whoever gets his blessings would have every reason to smile.
Tata’s recent campaign of ‘a kori yunwa,’ meaning “Lets Chase Away Hunger’ is PDP’s campaigns slogan.
It is widely selling to despise the ruling APC which promised change ahead of 2019. PDP handlers are routinely scolding APC as the purveyor of hunger through its much touted change slogan.
Similarly, Tata’s financial strength is an added advantage for him, with sources close to him saying he has was it takes to handle his campaign.
“The only thing he needs is endorsement by the PDP,” one of them said.
However, as a technocrat, one of Tata’s shortcomings is that he is seen as a novice because he never held any political appointment up till the time he ventured into politics in 2014.
But this has also been countered, with his admirers saying he has had enough couching in the last couple of years.
Also, intra party politics within the PDP can work against him because he is not the sole contender for now.
Zoning may also be a source of concern to his ambition having come from an area with ex- Governor Shema who governed the state for eight years. Contenders from the other two senatorial zones would also love to have a taste of the pudding. Lado He is an accomplished politician, having started from supervisory councillor, a twotime chairman of Kankara Local Government Area before he migrated to the House of Representatives and capped it all at the Senate.
The last political appointment he held was his membership in the Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) during the presidency of the late Umaru Yar’adua. He always boasts of his political credentials and challenges all to show a better one.
Lado has teeming supporters as evident during his recent defection from the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDP) to PDM.
He had contested for the governorship in 2015 under PDP but lost out.
Lado also has strong financial muscles.
For now, his slogan ‘Chanza Su Lado’ is a common rhythm among youths in Katsina.
His lavish campaigns have always endeared him to supporters; he equally pulls crowd wherever he goes.
However, his greatest undoing is that many see him as a truant politician who hardly stays in his home state, expressing fears that he might likely become a runaway governor in the event he wins.
Even though Tata was mentioned at the recent PDP zonal rally in Katsina, it was Lado who took to the podium to speak to the gathering, probably because he was the latest prominent defector to the party.
His greatest shortcoming is that people are wary of him over his alleged political compromises. He is never stable and many believe this inconsistency will haunt him in the party.
Both Tata and Lado have been in and out of the PDP, as such their sudden return is mainly to secure the party’s ticket as many believe that anything short of this will make them bolt away to other platforms in the 2019 election to pursue their gubernatorial ambitions as it happened before in 2015.
Both candidates suffered defeat in the last election were Masari coast to glory. Masari polled 943,085 votes to win the 2015 gubernatorial election. His closest was PDP’s Musa Nashuni with 476,768. Lado who flew PDM’s ticket got 50,361 while Tata who rode on APGA polled 42,302.