By Sunday Ani
Barely six months to the 2023 election, campaigns have begun, though in a subtle way.
As part of efforts to achieve some political mileage, reconciliation and compromise have since begun among parties and candidates across board ahead of the September date officially slated by the the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for campaign to commence officially. There are talks among the new but small parties on the possibility of forming alliances with a view to gaining wider membership and better showing at the polls. The same thing applies to the candidates, especially those whose emergence have unruffled some feathers.
In Niger State, the situation is not different. One of such persons whose candidature is causing confusion in some circles is the Niger State gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Umar Bago. He was not in the reckoning of the political calculation of the state from Day one even though he is one of the longest serving members of the House of Representatives from the state, having spent two terms and about ending his third now. He had been quite popular among the people, especially the downtrodden whose needs he meets on a regular basis. He was one of the few House members from Niger State who visit his constituency every other week, except when he is out of the country. Outside that, Bago’s contact phone number is displayed publicly. Unlike the conventional traits of politicians, Bago picks his phone himself. The ease with which his people have unfettered access to him is one of the things that counted for him when it mattered most. This, perhaps, explained why he became the favourite among the populace, irrespective of party affiliation.
Against all expectations, Bago, who represents Chanchaga Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, polled 540 votes to beat his opponents. Other contestants included Mohammed Idris Malagi who polled 386 votes; the deputy governor, Ahmed Ketso, with 17 votes; Sani Ndanusa, 84 votes; former secretary to the state government, Yahaya, zero vote; Ahmad Rufai, four votes; Mohamed Nda, one vote; Aliyu Idris, one vote and Mohammed Kpautigi also one vote. The election was supervised by the representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Police and Department of State Security (DSS) personnel.
In his acceptance speech, Bago acknowledged the God factor in his victory. He said his victory party should be suspended as there is a lot of work to be done. “We are not yet there; we still have work to do ahead. It is my prayer that APC forms the next government in the state,” he said.
Unknown to his teeming supporters and fans, what he actually meant was that there were a lot of frayed nerves that needed to be calmed, a lot of disaffection that needed to be assured and quite a sizeable number of major stakeholders that needed to reach a compromise with.
Against the backdrop of his speech, he has completely relocated to Minna for the past two months, criss-crossing the entire state, looking and seeking forgiveness, compromise, assurance, support, encouragement and prayers, not only for himself, but also for the party and the state in general.
The Secretary General of the APC Supporters Network Nigeria, Captain Yusuf Abdullahi (Maikudi), an indigene of the state and fellow Nupe like Bago, said he was not surprised that the governorship candidate was touring the state even before the campaign started proper. He added that Bago is a very sensitive person, who understands the political dynamics in the state. “When God says it is your turn, it is. Remember that he has been in the National Assembly for about 12 years now. He has garnered experience as a result of his exposure over the years. He is probably one of the few Niger State members of the National Assembly who is hardly heard despite his enormous support to his constituency. He doesn’t want his works in the media. He would tell you that once his constituency is happy with his performance, he is happy as the constituency is his report card. He prefers that the constituency talks about his performance instead of highlighting it in the media. That is one of the reasons my organisation is set up; to drum up support and canvass votes for him. We will continue to canvas support for him and the party. Our membership cuts across the state,” Maikudi stated.
At the moment, the first two months tour has seen Bago touring Bida, Katcha and Edati Local Government Areas, where he met the party loyalists, stakeholders, kings and traditional title holders to seek their support in the task not only to have APC back to government House but also to make the state more secure and economically viable. Fortunately, he has been widely received with tens of thousands of the people, across board, pledging their support to work for him and the party.
At all the local government areas visited, Bago reiterated his earlier commitment to make Niger State not only economically viable and stable security wise but also to be the first among equals. It appears the people, going by their confession, believe in Bago to bring back the lost glory of the state.
A businessman and indigene of Bida Local Government Area, Alhaji Abubakar Shettima, said that if God makes Bago the governor, the state would be better managed, at least given the background of the candidate. “He has a finance background. He has worked with two banks with sound records and performance trailing him. I strongly believe that if he becomes the governor, his experience and exposure would be handy. I truly share his optimism and prayers for the state. At the moment, I am yet to see a better candidate among the other parties. He is shoulder high above other candidates. I think this is the best time to be an indigene,” he said.
For Hajia Fatimah Muhammed, a trader in Edati Local GovernmentArea, going by what the APC governorship candidate said so far, she believes the state would return to its past glory. She said: “This is actually the first time I am seeing him one on one. I have seen him on television and in the pages of newspapers, but this is the first time I am seeing him talking. I am impressed by what he is offering to the state. What he is trying to do to bring everybody together is also worth mentioning. It shows that he knows it is the people that make the party and the government which he wants to preside over. We need conversation like this. More importantly, we need a listening leader. Throughout the event, he allowed everyone to talk, even when some were saying the question time should be stopped, he said we should continue. It was after many people had expressed themselves that he spoke. That is the kind of listening leader I want and the state needs. I pray he goes on like this even after he wins the election.”
On the chances of the APC continuing from where Governor Abubakar Bello stopped in 2023, Maikudi said he was very sure that Bago would take over from Bello. “Given what has happened so far, there is no doubt that the APC will return to the Government House. Check his antecedence; his track record, what he has done and still doing if he will not do better. That is actually the joy of every mentor, parents or boss that their mentee or subordinate should be better than them. That is what is called leadership. Take Lagos State as an example, every governor that has succeeded Asiwaju Tinubu is always better than the previous one. That is why Lagos is miles ahead of other states. I have no doubt that Umar Bago will make the state proud. As to whether the APC can win the general election, the acceptance by the ordinary people which culminated in his victory during the primary election is a very big pointer to the fact that the people will rally round him to push and vote him into the Government House,” he said.