Yes, Katsina Is Home Of Progressives Politics
Arguably, Katsina State is the melting point of progressives’ politics as the state and its people have continued to associate itself with the ideals of this time-tested brand of politics. From the dawn of the current democratic dispensation to date, and even before then, Katsina state has played a prominent role in consolidating democracy in Nigeria as it is privileged to have illustrious sons and daughters who have continually contributed to building a stable and enduring democratic culture in the country.
Fundamentally, Katsina has continued to associate itself with the ideals of providing the best of progressive governance with the specific focus on ensuring a prosperous Nigeria for the Nigerian people.
Indeed, the roles played by prominent Katsina citizens in the build up to the alliance that culminated in the birth of the ruling All Progressives Congress is well documented and has further lent credence to the fact that the state is the home of progressives’ politics.
It is not surprising therefore, that during the 2015 general election, the APC swept virtually all the elective positions in the state and retained its dominance by repeating the uncommon feat in both the 2019 and 2023 polls.
But one man who has consistently provided the leadership for the progressives politics in the state is Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, the current Governor of Katsina State.
Masari has intimidating credentials in politics and has continued to use that for greater political good. He served as commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport in Katsina State from 1991 to 1993 and was the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007.
Governor Masari played pivotal roles in midwifing the arrangements that birthed the ruling APC and relentlessly canvassed for power shift to the South during the build up to the 2023 polls.
Masari has a political trajectory of speaking truth to power. It would be recalled that as the Speaker, House of Representatives, he was courageous enough to tell former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he had presented his last budget in 2007, when it was rumored that Obasanjo had a third term agenda. Masari told him that such a move was unconstitutional.
And when it looked like it was not going to be easy for anyone from the Southwest to succeed President Buhari in 2023, Masari did not change his position on power shift. He continued his advocacy for power shift and specifically rooted for Jagaban.
When political scheming within the party intensifies with some APC Governors in the North ganging up to fight Tinubu by removing the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomole, who they believed was an ally of the President-elect, Masari and other critical stakeholders ensure reason prevailed and hence, they worked relentlessly to steady the party’s ship.
Masari held a meeting in Kaduna with his APC colleagues in the North and sold the idea of supporting the Jagaban Borgu to achieve his dream to become the next Nigerian President after Buhari in the spirit of reciprocity (considering the fact that he (Tinubu) worked relentlessly for the success of the APC) and fairness since the north was serving its 8-year term through President Muhammadu Buhari.
Eventually, reason prevailed and through deft political scheming, Jagaban clinched the APC ticket. Again, Governor Masari deployed his political skills and rally the progressives minded Katsina voters consequent upon which APC won massively and soundly too in the state. The party clinched all three Senatorial seats, all the state assembly seats and 13 of the 15 House of Representatives seats.
Of course, for the presidential poll, after surviving high stake treachery which the governor vehemently dealt with shortly after the election, the APC polled 482, 283 to trail behind PDP’s 489,045.
For yet another time, the voters in Katsina state set aside their prejudices and other primordial sentiments to use their votes in massively bending the arc towards progressivism as they voted overwhelmingly for the ruling APC.
The journey for 2027 elections may well have begun the moment the 2023 poll was won and lost. That being the case, there is the need to ensure that effective political structures including appointments into key positions, are reserved for tested and solidly rooted Katsina politicians who have the requisite capacity and connections with the people, to further consolidate the journey of the progressives in the state.