KWARA NORTH: SARAKI BARRED BAWA, BIO, BUKO, ZAKARI AND OTHERS FROM GOVERNORSHIP RACE
….Zones HoR seat to Moro
….Party Members in Edu and Patigi Kicks
By Abdullahi Nda-Yahaya
PATIGI: The race for the governorship ticket of the People’s Democratic Party took a new turn over the weekend when facts emerged that Former Governor Bukola Saraki, who is the leader of the party in the state announced that the flag bearer will be picked from the Nupe speaking part of Kwara North; Edu and Patigi axis.
This development has not gone down well with other aspirants from Baruten and Kaiama LGAs according to sources privy to the story since the announcement. One of the frontline contenders, Former Minister of Transport, Isa Bio Ibrahim had hoped to pick up the ticket having defected from the All Progressives Congress a few months back while Zakari Mohammed (Mai Jamaha) who is a Former Member House of Representatives who contested the Kwara North Senatorial seat during the 2019 elections had banked on his popularity and grassroots followership in his constituency to clinch the party’s ticket.
A greenhorn, Musa Idris Buko who has no previous political office experience and better known for his advocacy for youth inclusion and good governance entered into the race only about four days before the consensus announcement. Hon. Isa Bawa Adamu is another aspirant who claimed the ticket had been initially zoned to their LGAs before this latest announcement which automatically means they are out of the contest.
Supporters of the PDP in those places described the decision as ill-advised and threatened that it would mark the beginning of the end for the party in both Baruten and Kaiama unless the decision was reversed.
It will be recalled that Bio Ibrahim defected from the ruling APC about a few months ago, citing lack of foresight and progressive initiatives on the part of the current administration for his decision to pit tent with Saraki, only for him to be kept at an arm’s length.
Meanwhile, a similar decision for a consensus candidate in Edu, Moro and Patigi Federal Constituency is capable of threatening the party’s unity going into the elections proper in 2023.
According to a party insider who would like to maintain anonymity, The Leader, that is Former Senate President Bukola Saraki after consultations with party stakeholders from the constituency, agreed to micro-zone the seat to Moro LGA. This, according to him, is against the wishes of the majority, especially the Nupes from Edu and Patigi LGAs who are in the majority.
He said the Nupe people of Kwara state cannot afford not to have a representative at the Lower Chambers of the National Assembly and hence, the decision to micro-zone the seat to Moro is politically incorrect and will affect the chances of the party at the polls.
Political commentators from Kwara North have started giving their pre-election verdicts on what they called the return of political imposition and slavery. Some key supporters of the party from Edu and Patigi LGAs who were disgruntled are expected to leave the party in the coming weeks and months.
