As Sokoto State Goes To The Polls

By Abubakar Dan Bala

This Saturday, September 21, 2024, some 2.17 million registered voters in Sokoto State will troop out en masse to choose chairmen and councilors to pilot the affairs of the 23 local government areas of the state. The elected leaders of government business at the grassroots will serve a three-year tenure, following the recent amendment to the State Local Government law 2009 occasioned by Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, which regularized the tenure of elected local council officials from two to three years ago.

Governor Aliyu Sokoto who has local government autonomy as one of his 9- point agenda vigorously pushed for the amendment of the Sokoto State Local Government Law 2009 so that elected officials at that level can initiate and implement projects despite the opposition led by the rabid Professor Ishaq Akintola of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) that created an unnecessary controversy and peddled the falsehood that the amendment was targeted at the Sultan of Sokoto. The unnecessary controversy almost overshadowed the good intention of the law.

In the words of the Governor “Local Governments in Sokoto State need more than the present two(2) years tenure to effectively to conceive and implement projects”.

The Council polls, scheduled to hold in all the local government areas and 244 wards in the state, is projected to be free, fair and credible. It will provide golden opportunity for Governor Aliyu Sokoto to showcase his credentials as a hardcore democrat, even as it is widely expected that the good people of the state will vote massively for the candidates of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in appreciation of his stellar performance in office since inception on May 29, 2023. These same voters had given him the majority votes that he needed to soundly defeat Saidu Umar who flew the flag of the then ruling party in the State, the People’s Democrat Party (PDP).

As the Local Government poll tees off to an expected success on Saturday, all eyes will be on the State Independent Electoral (SIEC) Chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Suleiman, to walk his talk, as he had, on many occasions, pledged to provide a level playing ground for all the political parties involved in the statewide exercise. It is instructive to note that the SIEC Chairman and his entire team were appointed by the immediate past administration of the Aminu Tambuwal PDP. It speaks volumes of the leadership quality and political maturity of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto that his administration refused to tamper with an electoral umpire installed by an opposition party. Not many governors in the country would be comfortable to go into Local Council elections with umpires installed by their political opponents, when they have the powers to tweak the composition of the referees, so as to win by hook or by crook!

Governor Aliyu Sokoto has shown a good grasp of the Constitution and is making every effort to respect it compared to Aminu Tambuwal a lawyer of longstanding experience who committed several fundamental constitutional errors that Governor Sokoto is cleaning up.

Meanwhile, acting in utmost good faith, the SIEC Chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Suleiman had promised to conduct the polls in a manner that would be broadly acceptable, to justify the confidence reposed in him by the governor. In an engagement with journalists, Alhaji Aliyu pledged: “We will do whatever it takes to ensure that we conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible election that will be acceptable to all, even where there is threat to security”.

In words and deeds, the Sokoto SIEC appears to be working in harmony with the determination of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto to make a make a refreshing differnce in the political and social landscape of Sokoto State. Part of this difference is to ensure that whoever wins an election is declared as the true choice of the people they represent, instead of imposing an unpopular candidate.

Opposition parties especially the PDP ought to have reciprocated the mature and pace-setting disposition of the governor and cooperate with the electoral umpires installed by the main opposition party to deliver a credible exercise.

It comes as a big surprise, even as utter disappointment, that the PDP resolved to boycott the Local Government polls. It is difficult to understand the reason for their decision, given that the administration of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto has never pursued any policies designed to emasculate the opposition and turn state to a one-party enclave. As a true democrat, he clearly recognizes that opposition is part and parcel of a vibrant and healthy democracy.

True to his style of leadership, the governor had continued calling on the PDP to reconsider their decision and participate in the LG polls, assuring them that SIEC will conduct credible polls. Abubakar Bawa who serves as Press Secretary to Governor Ahmad Sokoto, said that the governor made the call while addressing a mammoth crowd of APC supporters from the eight local governments of Sokoto East Senatorial zone who converged on Goronyo for the flag off of the APC campaign ahead of the polls.

According to the governor, “the leaders of SIEC were appointed by the immediate past administration of the PDP, and I didn’t tamper with that structure. I wonder why the PDP is afraid of participating in the polls to be organized by SIEC.”

Gov. Aliyu assured the opposition in the state that SIEC under his administration will conduct free, fair and credible local government elections. He said: “I had a meeting with the Chairman of SIEC and he assured me of transparent polls, whoever wins, will be declared the winner.”

The only reason why the Sokoto State PDP pulled out of the 2024 LG polls is its continued determination to embarrass the governor. Another motive would be to damage the legitimacy and credibility of the polls. The truth is that it boycotted the election because it stood no chance with the people who have after 8 years are enjoying the dividends of democracy; salaries are being paid backlog of pensions and gratuity have been settled etc.

In reality, the election boycott will hurt the PDP more than anyone else, since it will prevent opposition candidates from testing their popularity with the voters, and therefore dampen the enthusiasm of their supporters. Furthermore, since some ten political parties are billed to compete in the grassroots voting exercise, a boycott by one party would have minimal impact on the legitimacy and credibility of the polls. Which means that the PDP boycott would amount to a futile self abuse!

Notwithstanding who participates or shuns the polls, the APC is expected to make a clean sweep of the 23 local government council, not merely because it is the party in power, but because of the good performance of the current administration. Since assumption of office, Governor Ahmad Aliyu has consistently delivered the dividends of democracy to the people of Sokoto State who last experienced governance during the administration of former governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko. They remember the Aminu Tambuwal’s administration with unpaid pension and gratuities, delayed salary and uncompleted projects . Perhaps, it is common for the PDP, having read the handwriting on the wall, to chicken out of the LG elections, fearing it would suffer monumental disgrace from angry voters.

It is comforting to hear that SIEC has done all it can do to ensure a hitch free voting at the weekend. Security is of utmost importance since the SIEC will deploy a huge number permanent and ad hoc staff, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Commendably, the SIEC Chairman has assured of voters of seamless alignment with relevant security agencies in the state to provide maximum security cover, especially in the areas worst affected by banditry.

The Chairman also confirmed that Governor Ahmad Aliyu has provided adequate funds and logistics for the smooth conduct of the LG polls on Saturday, leaving no one in doubt that all is set for a fair and credible polls, to the credit of a governor who fully prepared and highly committed, not only to serve his people, but to also to notify the ethos of democracy and good governance in Sokoto state.

Postscript: It’s important to stress that the Sokoto State government under Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto was not compelled to conduct the election by the judgement of the Supreme Court. As a firm believer in the Rule of Law the governor had scheduled the election since his assumption of office. The delay was to ensure that several issues like the amendment were resolved.