Katsina and the agitation for power shift in 2015

Ahead of the 2015 general elections, the agitation for power shift in Katsina State is growing.

The dominant view is that Katsina Central has had its share of the governorship position having been in power since 1999. Late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua governed from 1999 to 2007 and the incumbent, Governor Ibrahim Shema, who is rounding up his second tenure as governor, both hail from the zone. Put together, the central zone has held power for the past 16 years.

As the Central zone has been on the saddle since 1999, the two other zones of Katsina South and North have at different times held deputy positions, a situation which has intensified the agitation for power to shift in the next dispensation.

Many have argued that the time has come again to make amends as the Central zone cannot continue to dominate the affairs of the state to the detriment of the other parts.

The first governor of the state, Alhaji Saidu Barda, who became governor on the ticket of the now defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), hails from Katsina Central Senatorial Zone. But even before Barda, two indigenes of the state that had the privilege of serving as governor of old Kaduna - Alhaji Lawal Kaita and Abba Musa Rimi - are both from Katsina Central senatorial district which by implication means the zone has produced five governors so far.

Several pressure groups are springing up to make cases on the need for the other zones to be allowed a chance at the governorship. They say this is the only way justice, fair play and importantly, giving the people of the zone a sense of belonging in 2015 would be guaranteed.

One of zones which is yet to produce a governor, known as the Karaduwa zone or the Funtua axis has 1,898,000 people with 117 polling wards and 1,693 polling units, a number that is almost half the population in the state and has 12 local governments while the North and Central zones have 11 each.

But the zone is yet to utilise its numerical strength to achieve its aim of producing a governor from the zone.

The zone has however in the past played significant roles in producing governors for the state using its large population.

Out of the 19 aspirants from the three parties that have indicated interest in fielding candidates for governorship in 2015, nine are from the Funtua and Daura axis. A further breakdown shows that seven are from Funtua while two are from Daura zone.

Those eyeing the governorship from Funtua zone under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) banner are Eng. Nura Khalil and Muda Adamu Funtua, while in the APC are former Speaker House of Representatives, Aminu Masari, former Deputy Governor Garba Aminci, Abubakar Ismaila Funtua and Senator Abu Ibrahim. From Daura zone there are Musa Sada under the PDP and Senator Kanti Bello from the APC. The PDM has Senator Lado Dan Marke from Funtua zone.

Political observers believe that the high number of aspirants from the two zones, unlike in the past, is a confirmation of the seriousness by the North and South zones for power to shift in 2015.

The PDP has, however, kept mute over shifting power to other zones as all efforts to get the views of the officials of the party on the issue proved abortive.

However, the leading opposition party, APC, said it is consulting widely on the possibility of considering power shift in the coming general elections.

The party’s state chairman, Mustapha Inuwa, said very soon the party will take a stand on that for the overall interest of the party and its teeming supporters.

Now that the parties are approaching their primaries, the agitation from the other zones that believe they have been shortchanged in the past, will greatly have impact on the emergence of candidates ahead of the general elections.