Less Than 2 Months to Governorship Election, Sokoto APC Yet to Begin Campaign

By Onuminya Innocent

Less than two months to the governorship election and at a time when political activities in several states across the country are in overdrive, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Sokoto State is yet to begin its campaign. It is a i

It is a different story in the PDP as the party’s gubernatorial campaign was flagged off on December.

THISDAY correspondent who has been monitoring political activities in the seat of the caliphate reports that APC is yet to raise its campaign council or announce campaign itinerary to unveil its manifesto to the people of the state.

Findings showed that this may not be unconnected to the gale of defections that have hit the party, though defections are not peculiar to APC, as the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have also had its own share.

An APC supporter warned that if nothing was done urgently, the party was on the path of defeat in the upcoming general election. Some political analysts are of the opinion that apart from the fact that the state APC may be facing financial constraints, the crisis that trailed the party’s governorship primary is still hurting the party.

Recall that in the build up to the party’s governorship primary, some aspirants who had suspected that the leader of the party in the state, Senator Aliyu Magartakada  Wamakko, was backing Ahmad Aliyu, the party’s governorship candidate in 2019 election, formed alliance to stop the move.

At the primary, Wamakko, being in control of the party’s structure in the state, ensured the emergence of Aliyu, as he defeated the other contestants known as G-5. Even though it was expected that the party’s leadership would set up reconciliatory committee to pacify the G-5, their grievances were ignored.

The G-5 comprises political heavyweights including former Minister of Transportation, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman; immediate past Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan, Faruk Malami Yabo; member representing Illella/Gwadabawa federal constituency, Dr Balarabe Salame; Sen Abubakar Gada; and Abubakar A Gumbi. The defection of members of the G-5 to PDP have weakened the opposition APC in the state, as they have all resolved to see the party lose the upcoming elections.

Though some PDP stalwarts like former Commissioner for Security and Career Studies, Col Garba Moyi (rtd); former Special  Adviser to Governor Tambuwal,  Ibrahim Gidado; and Chairman Tangaza Local Government, Isah Salihu, with 8 councilors defected from PDP to APC, they did not have the kind of political influence of the G-5.

In the upcoming elections, the battle will be fierce contests among the political titans in the various districts. Sokoto, like other states, has three senatorial districts  – North, East and South. In the North, the PDP has political heavyweights like Deputy Governor Muhammad Manir Dan’Iya, the party’s governorship candidate, Alhaji Sa’aidu Umar; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abdullahi Maigwandu; Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mainasara Ahmad, and Alhaji Abubakar A Gumbi.

Leading the squad of PDP generals in the South is Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, with the support of  Sen Abubakar Shehu Tambuwal, Ambassador Faruk Malami Yabo and Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma.

In the Eastern Senatorial district, PDP has its state chairman, Bello Aliyu Goronyo; former Governor Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa; Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, Sen Abubakar Gada, member representing Illella/ Gwadabawa federal constituency and former speaker of Sokoto House of Assembly, Dr. Balarabe Salame; incumbent Speaker Aminu Manya Achida; and its deputy governorship candidate, Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa.

In the line up for APC in northern senatorial district are former Governor Wamakko, APC governorship candidate Aliyu, and former member of House of Representatives, Hassan Abubakar.

APC titans in the Southern senatorial districts include Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, and Senator representing Sokoto South, Sen. Danbaba Dambuwa.

The Eastern Senatorial district has APC has the party’s state party chairman, Alhaji Sadiq Acida; Senatorial Candidate for Sokoto East, Ibrahim Lamido Isa; and the party’s Deputy Governorship candidate, Idris Muhammad Gobir.

Until APC gets its acts together and hits the campaign trail, the upcoming elections in Sokoto looks like a clear contest in favour of PDP.