ANALYSIS >> PDP, others not ready for good fight in Borno
Compared to other states where the ruling party is working vigorously to subdue the determination of the opposition to take over power, there is little or nothing exciting about the governorship election in Borno State because evidence abound that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and others have either given up or not even ready at the first instance to give a good fight.
Though the PDP has since 1999 consistently fielded candidates for the governorship and other elective positions in Borno State, it rarely makes any outing worthy of commendation.
This has remained the trend though the PDP was the ruling party at the centre until 2015 when it was unseated by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Conversely, the opposition APP, ANPP and APC had successfully won the gubernatorial elections in Borno and it appears that though the APC is now the ruling party, the trend will continue.
The outcome of the Feb. 23 presidential and National Assembly elections, where the APC delivered President Muhammadu Buhari with over 90 per cent of entire votes, and won all the three senatorial seats and all House of Representatives seats, has left the opposition PDP and others biting their fingers amidst allegations of ballot stuffing.
The APC has Prof. Babagana Zulum as its gubernatorial candidate and the stage appears clear for him.
However, while the opposition continued to oppose without serious barking, there are indications that Prof. Zulum has been contending with some enduring issues of intraparty dissatisfaction.
This stemmed from the party’s governorship primary election that necessitated court cases filed by other contenders at the primary. These cases are still pending before the Maiduguri Federal High Court.
The first case was filed by Alhaji Idris Mamman Durkwa; and the second by Ambassador Baba Ahmad Jidda, followed by Mustapha Baba Shehuri, Kassim Imam, Muhammad Abba Liman and Abba Jato Muhammad, all gubernatorial aspirants who participated in the September party primaries.
They all allege gross irregularities in the conduct of the process that produced Zulum as the party’s governorship candidate, with Durkwa even praying the court to nullify Zulum’s victory, and declare him winner of the primaries.
The presiding judge, Justice Jude Dagat, had on Tuesday, 5th March adjourned hearing on the case to Thursday, 14th March for hearing on all applications as well as the application for the consolidation of the cases.
Thursday, 14th March is five days after the election.
However, some voters have dismissed these court cases as too inconsequential and fragile to deny Zulum the envisioned victory.
“The court cases are unfortunate, no doubt about that,” the North-East Zonal Coordinator, Buhari Support Group, Alhaji Ibrahim Abba ElZubair, said.
He said though such intraparty wrangling might reduce the anticipated votes the APC will get in the gubernatorial elections, that will not in any way affect the outcome of the election
He maintained: “The only party standing up against APC is the PDP, and Borno has no business whatsoever with the PDP.
“I very much want to see a situation where these court cases are dropped in the next one or two days. We should reconcile and go into the election as a united house.
“I will strongly advise the national leadership of the party to intervene urgently; but despite all these, nothing will affect Zulum’s victory,” he observed.