Those Who Want Bagudu’s Job in Kebbi
As the battle for the soul of Kebbi State gets hot, more aspirants are coming out within and outside the All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge the incumbent Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu over the number one seat.
Five aspirants have already declared interest to contest the governorship election against the governor. Four of the aspirants are from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while one is from the APC, the governor’s party.
Three of them are from the Argungu Emirate while two others are from the Gwandu Emirate. Few days ago, a prince from the Argungu Emirate, Ibrahim Mohammed Mera (Ciroman Kabi) declared his interest to occupy the Kebbi seat of power on the platform of the APC.
Ciroman Kabi, as he is fondly called by his supporters, is the immediate past deputy comptroller-general of the Customs Service. He was the head of administration and logistics. Since his retirement he has shown interest in Kebbi politics, and he did not hide it. For the past one year before the campaign for the governorship election intensified, he had his posters in many strategic locations across the state, particularly his hometown, Argungu.
Ciroma was seen by many as a joker or attention seeker, but this perception was put to rest last week when he opened his campaign office in Birnin Kebbi and went against all odds to obtain his nomination form at the APC headquarters in Abuja. Although not many think he has any chance, given the fact that he is a new entrant in Kebbi politics, coupled with the popularity of the incumbent governor in the state, his campaign train is one of the few to be reckoned with in the struggle for Kebbi Government House in 2019.
One of the major contending forces in the governorship race in the state is Senator Isa Galaudu from the Augie area of the state. Until his recent movement to the PDP, Galaudu was a strong member of the APC, both in the state and at the national level.
He is a former chief of staff to the Senate president. He declared interest in Kebbi governorship seat few weeks ago at the PDP secretariat in Birnin Kebbi. Based on his experience, he is seen by many as one of the few politicians with the potentials to lead the state. Since his declaration to take a shot at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi on the platform of the PDP, Galaudu has embarked on intensive consultation and campaign across the 21 local government areas of the state.
Another aspirant is Alhaji Abubakar Garin Malam. Garin Malam, as he is popularly known, is a former deputy comptroller of the Customs Service. He is one of the known politicians in the state with tract records. He had contested the governorship election of the state two times but lost. He contested first under the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in 2007 and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2011. In 2015, he contested with Adamu Aliero for the Kebbi Central senatorial election but lost.
Garin Malam was an associate of Senator Adamu Aliero. They left the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) together to join the PDP, CPC, and later back to the PDP before they fell apart politically.
He is from the Gwandu Emirate and an indigene of Birnin Kebbi. His supporters believe that his affiliation to the Gwandu Emirate may be his major political strength in the contest.
A former minister of foreign affairs and immediate past national treasurer of the PDP, Alhaji Buhari Bala, is another governorship aspirant from Gwandu Emirate with political track record. Alhaji Bala is one of the four aspirants already lined up in the PDP for the governorship contest. His supporters believe that he has the political clout to clinch the PDP governorship ticket to slug it out with Governor Bagudu.
Senator Umar Abubakar Tafida from Argungu Emirate is seen as another contender to watch in the governorship election in Kebbi State. The senator and former managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority has been in the state political circle since the beginning of this political dispensation. In the 2015 governorship election he was a running mate to Bello Sarkin Yaki, but they lost to Governor Abubakar Bagudu of the APC.
Given the entry of these personalities into the governorship race, the political atmosphere has become somewhat tense, with speculations that they might give the ruling APC a run for its money in Kebbi. But the spokesman of the party, Alhaji Sani Dododo has dismissed the speculation, saying the APC is the only party in the state and there is no vacancy in the Government House as Abubakar Bagudu would still return there in 2019.
But the declaration of the spokesman of the APC notwithstanding, the PDP said it was ready to take over the control of the state in 2019. During the party’s rally in Birnin Kebbi, its public relations officer in the state, Ibrahim Umar Ummai, said they had put every machinery in place to defeat the APC in the governorship election.
He said, “As you can see, we are on course to take over from the APC. In sha Allahu we will occupy the Government House in 2019.”
During an interaction with journalists, the publicity secretary of the APC, Sani Dododo, said they remained the party to beat in Kebbi State, adding that the incumbent governor is the choice of the people.
“There is no party called PDP in Kebbi State. The APC is the only party known by the people, and our hardworking governor is the choice of the electorate. We are not aware of any aspirant who has the popularity Bagudu has among the people of Kebbi State. He does not need to campaign because his achievements in every sector of the state economy are enough campaign for him,” he said.