How Accord Party ‘sneaked’ into Buhari’s Daura
Of all the elections held for the Senate and House of Representatives on Feb. 23, the much talk about in Katsina is that of Daura Senatorial District.
It was in Daura that Accord Party with its candidate, Mohammed Lawal Nalado, recorded an outstanding but not an enduring outing when its candidate in some units defeated Ahmad Babba Kaita, an incumbent senator elected on the platform of APC who is seeking a second term.
The drama unfolded at Kofar Baru polling unit where President Muhammadu Buhari cast his vote.
Since the advent of this democratic dispensation, Katsina has always been in the folds of the ruling party at the centre. First it was PDP and now APC.
In the said unit, Accord Party emerged victorious with 263 votes against APC’s 248. At S/ Yara Ward, Accord Party polled 2,378 while APC and PDP got 2,204 and 255 respectively. At Yara ‘A’, Accord Party scored 254, while APC scored 244. At Yara A2, Accord Party 277 while APC got 229.
The party also won several other polling units within Daura Local Government and in the overall results released for the zone with 12 local governments, Accord Party garnered 14,152 votes to be placed third.
Political observers believed that performances of the party may not be unrelated to ‘protest’ votes from the core Daura Emirate councils where the late Senator Mustapha Bukar hailed from.
The five core councils had hoped that following his death, the slot will be replaced from someone within.
However, it was not to be because Senator Kaita is from Kankia Local government.
Perhaps, the Accord Party candidate, Mohammed Lawal Nalado is not a novice politically. He’s presently the National Chairman of the party and two times national chairman of Inter Party advisory Council (IPAC).
Nalado was in the House of Representatives in 1992 on the platform of the then National Republican Convention (NRC) and a Delegate to the National Conference in 2014. He was also a two-time national delegate of the PDP 2001-2003.
The 56-year-old retired civil servant and former legislative assistant to Sen Abdu Yandoma was able to, within a short time, reach out to the electorate and endear himself and the party to them.
In a telephone interview with Daily Trust, Nalado said his choice of platform for contest was only natural and the right thing for him to do having being the party’s national leader. He said it will be unwise and wrong to fly another party, coupled with his belief in the party’s capabilities and good spread.
He said, “my relationship with the locals is very cordial and appreciated,” adding “I was able to touch so many lives through employment opportunities to the youth and the only person not having police orderly.”
“I live a simple life and always with the locals at joints, not having protocols of reaching me; I’m very accessible and my doors are always open,” he said.