Although last month’s Supreme Court verdict was thought to have put a stop to the seeming unending legal suits against Wamakko by the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) candidate in the 2007 election, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, the later said recently that he had gone back to court over the same case.
However, the 2011 Sokoto Governorship race is on with aspirants from different parties seeking tickets to the number one position of the state. Three aspirants under the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) are contending for the governorship ticket. They include Abubakar Aliyu Yabo, former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA); Ibrahim Magaji Gusau, a well known politician in the state; and Dahiru Yusuf Yabo, a commissioner for Water Resources under the administration of Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa.
Also, aspirants under the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) have indicated interest. They include Alhaji Isah Bajini Galadanci, a former director in the civil service who recently resigned; Galadiman Gari, a renowned traditional chief in the Sultanate Council; Engineer Muhammadu Maidamma Tangaza, a former Commissioner for Works under former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa; and Mohammed Akibu Dalhatu, a youth mobilizer and former youth leader.
Incumbent Governor Wamakko is the only PDP governorship aspirant. One aspirant each under the Democratic People’s Party, Maigari Dingyadi; and ANPP’s Alhaji Bello Gazobi are also gunning for the same job.
Wamakko who was elected deputy governor to Governor Attahiru Bafarawa in 1999 under the platform of the ANPP and re-elected for a second term in April 2003, is for the third time in the race for the governorship post; the first being the 2007 election after resigning as Deputy Governor of Sokoto State on 15th March, 2006.The second was the 2008 rerun following the quashing of his election, and now 2011.
For the 2007 election, Wamakko drew support from civil servants, his former constituency; traders who allegedly felt neglected by the previous administration; non-indigenes who were hitherto charged discriminatory school fees; and other interest groups that felt their conditions would be better under Wamakko. The deluge of support for Wamakko fetched him about 100,000-vote margin in the first election.
However for the 2008 rerun, Wamakko scored 562,395 votes against the 124,046 votes of the DPP candidate Dingyadi.
When Wamakko assumed the mantle of leadership in 2007, he promised t to ensure poverty reduction, provide social welfare packages, and develop important sectors of the economy such as agriculture and education for the overall growth of the state.
His attention was intermittently diverted by the series of court cases he had to contend with while the unpredictable nature of the judicial pronouncements created situations of uncertainty for him.
But Alu, as he is often referred to, would not accept such assessments as he insisted that the court cases did not distract his government from providing dividends of democracy and that he had remained focussed to demonstrate good governance and provide social welfare packages in different sectors.
Among the projects the Wamakko administration also talks big of as its achievements are that it is embarking on provision of 30 megawatts of electricity through the Independent Power Project at a cost of N3.8 billion; a flyover bridge at a cost of N1.5 billion within the metropolis to ease heavy traffic, 2000 housing units for civil servants on owner/occupier basis to minimize accommodation problem of the civil servants, a State University to enhance tertiary education, and distribution of 1000 cars to civil servants to ease their transport problem.
Aside the challenge posed by the litigations in the course of his first term in office, Wamakko’s defection from ANPP to PDP before the 2007 general election placed him on collision course with the ‘traditional’ PDP members, many of who constituted the group of the educated elite residing in Sokoto and Abuja.
It is being alleged that he is favouring fellow defectors from ANPP, an allegation he denies.
At present, those seeking nomination to contest for some of the positions in the forthcoming elections are noted to represent both camps. Wamakko thus has the challenge of striking a balance between the camps.
Political analysts observe that the Abuja-based ‘traditional PDP members’ could create some problems for Wamakko if they decide to dump PDP and team up with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the new party observed to have growing popularity in the state.
The CPC seems to be assuming the position of the leading opposition party. The Buhari factor which the ANPP used in making its governorship aspiration popular in 1998 and 2003 is said to remain in use, this time by the CPC which places pictures of its aspirants with those of Buhari
However, others argue that such strategy may not do any damage to Wamakko as he may have taken measures to see he keeps control of the state.
For the ACN which is now being controlled by Bafarawa, observers note that though Bafarawa also wields some influence in the state, the party is in a sense beginning afresh while the ANPP in the state is seemingly a shadow of itself.
Incidentally, the DPP which was the leading opposition party in the previous elections has had its structure diminished with the exit of Alhaji Bafarawa while it is yet to realise its quest to control the state through legal process.
Only recently, over 300,000 DPP members were said to have decamped to the PDP in the state.
Opposition parties are not relenting in their resolve to fight on. They have vowed to build a formidable force to wrest power from the PDP.
One of the three CPC governorship aspirants, Ibrahim Magaji Gusau asserted, “Despite the incumbency factor, we are going to take power from the PDP-led government. The people of Sokoto are going to vote for us. They are tired of this administration. You can see people trooping to the CPC despite what the government has been spending to stop them.”
In the same vein, the ANPP Sokoto State Chairman, Alhaji Danfuloti, stated, “Whether educated or uneducated, the people of Nigeria know that PDP has performed below expectation. We need change and that change is going to take place. As a party that has been in Sokoto for long and well known in the state for what it achieved while it led government, ANPP is strategizing on how to ensure that power comes to us.”
Likewise, the ACN says it is preparing to take over the seat of Government from PDP. The Sokoto State chairman of the party, Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma said they had come out in full force to form the next government of the state.
The PDP believes it will maintain continued control of the state as it looks to score major gains in the coming elections.
Vice chairman of the party in charge of the North-West, Dr. Abdullahi Danladi Sankara said while receiving the decampees that their action meant that the PDP government under Wamakko was doing well.
“We are proud of Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko who proves to be the vanguard of PDP in this geo-political zone”, Sankara said
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