How opposition parties plot to take over Zamfara
Opposition political parties in Zamfara State are plotting to take advantage of the crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and take over the reins of power. The parties are either forming alliances or reaching out to the electorate to push forward their manifestoes for an alternative government in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would not allow the APC field candidates in the 2019 general elections because it violated its guidelines on primary elections.
Although the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, said the party had already arrived at a consensus before the deadline, the chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, insisted on its position on the matter.
Oshiomhole had said that following the high level of disagreements and threats of violence by various political camps before the primaries, all the aspirants met at City King Hotel, Gusau to find a truce.
“After hours of intense horse-trading, a consensus was reached within the spirit and context of the electoral act and the constitution of our party. This was done in strict compliance with Section 87 (6) of the electoral act, 2010 (as amended),” he reportedly said, adding that the claim by the INEC that no primaries were conducted could only be referring to its officials’ observation that actual voting did not take place,’’ Oshiomhole stated.
According to the electoral act, political parties were expected to comply with the timetable of the INEC, which stated that primary elections for the 2019 polls must be held between August 18 and October 7, 2018.
The commission said it received reports from its Zamfara office, indicating that primaries were not conducted in the state, the fact that its officials were fully mobilised and deployed notwithstanding.
As the fate of the ruling APC in Zamfara hangs in the balance, Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that other parties are taking advantage of the situation to gain political strength.
Chieftains of some of the parties who spoke with our correspondent said they had embarked on massive mobilisation of their members and the electorate to consider voting for them during the forthcoming elections.
The national chairman of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Senator Sa’idu Dansadau, who is also the governorship candidate of the party, said they had embarked on a house-to-house mobilisation exercise to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties in the state to gain their support for the governorship seat.
“The crisis in the APC has made us to reinforce what we have been doing - reaching out to all political parties and relevant stakeholders for a common front to tackle the challenges in Zamfara State. Our primary aim is to return Zamfara to its traditional status of commerce and agriculture. We want to make agriculture more lucrative than oil and gas.
“Already, our leaders have embarked on a house-to-house mobilisation exercise, meeting with the PDP and other parties to achieve this purpose,” Dansadau said.
He said that apart from the house-tohouse approach, the party also initiated daily town hall meetings with trade unions, professional groups and religious leaders.
While ruling out the possibility of ceding their governorship slot to the APC, Dansadau, however, said the NRM was ready to welcome aspirants from other parties vying for other political positions.
The Peoples Democratic Party also said they were taking advantage of the situation in the APC to take over the state.
A former chairman of the party in the state, Senator Hassan Mohammed Gusau, said they were anchoring their mobilisation on the insecurity situation in the state to woo the electorate to their side.
He said the ruling party had approached the PDP to offer them their governorship ticket, but they declined because “this is a no-go-area.” He, however, said they were into negotiations with the APC and other political parties, but their agreement depends on acceptable conditions.
The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state, Badamasi Bello, said the uncertain situation in the APC presented them with a great opportunity to take over the governorship of the state.
Bello, who is also the state chairman of the ADC, said the party was not leaving anything to chance towards ensuring victory in the governorship election.
“We are going to the grassroots to enlighten our members to ensure victory. We are not ruling out the possibility of alliance with other parties, including the APC,” he said.
He, however, said the ADC had no plan to give out its governorship ticket to the APC or any other party because, according to him, “We are ready to take over the state.”
But the state chairman of Green Party, Yusuf Sani, said it would be a welcome development if the APC approached them for their governorship ticket.
“If they have a good candidate that would deliver democratic dividends, we may substitute, but none of them has approached us yet,” he said.
Sani said that following the disagreement that trailed the governorship primary election of the APC in the state, some of its members defected to the Green Party, two of which were given National Assembly tickets while one was given a state Assembly ticket.
Apart from the governorship position, some of the ‘smaller’ political parties conducted primaries for other offices, including National Assembly seats and are said to be battle-ready for elections into those positions.
The PDP produced three senatorial candidates and all the seven House of Representatives tickets through consensus.
The immediate past chairman of the party, Senator Hassan Nasiha, who clinched the ticket for the Zamfara Central senatorial zone, told Daily Trust on Sunday that all the flag-bearers were produced through peaceful consensus. In Zamfara North, Senator Sahabi Yau Kaura got the ticket, and in Zamfara West, Alhaji Abu Makau Damri is the candidate.
In the House of Representatives, the flag-bearers are Atiku Mohammed (Bakura/Maradun), Shehu Ahmed (Maru/ Bungudu), Kabiru Amadu (Gusau/Tsafe), Kabiru Yahaya (Anka/Talata Mafara), Junaidu Muhammad (Gummi/Bukkuyum. Others are Sani Umar Dan Galadima (Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji), and Alhaji Bello Hassan (Shinkafi/Zurmi).
In the same vein, the ADC has fielded candidates for elective positions. In the Senate, Alhaji Misbahu Bello Gusau is the party’s candidate for Zamfara Central, Mukhtar Abdullah Birnin Magaji for Zamfara North and Abubakar Wakili Talata Mafara for South.
For the federal constituencies, the candidates are Abdurrahaman Iliyasu, (Gusau/Tsafe), Hassan Abubakar (Bungudu/ Maru), Rabiu Hamisu (Kaura Namoda/ Birnin Magaji), Muhammad Bature (Zurmi Shinkafi), Shayau Musa Anka (Anka/ Talata Mafara), Umar Jibo Bakura (Bakura/ Maradun).
The NRM has also fielded candidates in various positions, including Alhaji Abdullahi Lokojo Anka (Zamfara West). Dr Na Allah Isah Mayana (Zamfara Central), Alhaji Isah Ahmed Moriki (Zamfara North).
In the federal constituencies, the NRM has Bello Idris Galadi, Aminu Isah Sakajiki, Bashir Muhammad, Bala Muhammad Dansadau, Murtala Umar.
Daily Trust on Sunday recalls that internal wrangling among nine governorship aspirants in the state led to an unsuccessful conduct of primary elections for governorship, national and state assemblies in the APC.
The battle for the APC tickets was between the state government-backed commissioner for finance, Alhaji Mukhtar Shehu Idris and eight others, known as G-8, which comprised Senator Kabiru Marafa, the state deputy governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Wakkala Muhammad, the Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mansur Dan Ali (retd) and Alhaji Sagir Hamidu Gusau.
Others are former Governor Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, Alhaji Abu Magaji, a federal lawmaker representing Kaura Namoda/ BirninMagaji constituency, Alhaji Sani Jaji and Alhaji Dauda Lawal Dare.
The governorship primary election in the state, earlier slated for October 3, was marred by widespread violence and alleged voter intimidation, resulting to its cancellation midway by the National Working Committee of the party.
Apart from incomplete election materials, especially ballot papers that had reportedly hampered the smooth conduct of the October 3 primary election, there were allegations of irregularities and imperfections that made the Abubakar Fari-led election panel to recommend the cancellation of the exercise, which was ratified by the NWC of the party.
However, the APC in the state rejected the cancellation and vowed to conclude the exercise and announce the results.
Less than a week after the election was cancelled, the party chairman in the state, Alhaji Lawali M. Liman declared Alhaji Mukhtar Shehu Idris as winner of the APC governorship primary election. Governor Abdulaziz Yari was also returned as the winner of Zamfara West senatorial zone primary election in the state with 166,610 votes.
Earlier disagreements between the committee sent by the national headquarters of the party, Governor Abdulaziz Yari and the Group 8, stemmed from the party guidelines. Governor Yari had accused the election panel sent to conduct the October 3 election of jettisoning the party guidelines.
On October 5, Governor Yari sounded another warning against resending the Abubakar Fari-led committee that earlier conducted the botched election, accusing them of bias and compromise.
Consequently, the national secretariat of the party rescheduled the governorship primary election in the state to October 7 and constituted another committee headed by Major-General Abubakar Mustapha Gana (retd).
But despite the October 7 deadline by the INEC on resolving all disputes, the exercise could not hold, owing to another disagreement on the voters’ register.