By Abdallah el-Kurebe

Ordinarily, Sokoto would be one of the few states in which governorship election in 2011 would not take place except now with the amendment of Section 135 of the 1999 Constitution. The Principal Act had subsections 2 (a) and (b).

These have been altered by inserting a new paragraph c. By this amendment, the new section would be cited as Section 135 (2) (c), which would read thus: “In the determination of the four year term, where a rerun election has taken place and the person earlier sworn in wins the rerun election, the time spent in the office before the date of election was annulled, shall be taken into account.”

If the amendments in whole, to the 1999 Constitution are put on gazette, Wamakko, though reelected during a rerun in 2008, the time spent by him from 2007 when he was initially elected as Governor would be taken into account and his first term would end culminating in another reelection, if he contests and win, in 2011.

Gov. Magatakarda of Sokoto State

Politicians’ pessimism

As things are at the present moment in the Sokoto , probably because interested politicians had not seen the possibility of governorship election holding in Sokoto in 2011, no one as at now has declared his interest to aspire to the office. Interestingly again, none of the over thirty political parties has shown interest  in the election.

All of the political parties, except the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC appeared to be satisfed with the way Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko is transforming the state in all ramifications.

This stand, the Association has continued to stress at press conferences. Chairman of the Sokoto State Political Parties Association, Alhaji Muhammadu Chiroman Tangaza told Vanguard that “there are positions some parties may vie for but governorship position may hardly be contested against the incumbent governor Wamakko.”

DPP’s position
Even DPP, the erstwhile staunch opponent of PDP is undecided in coming up with a candidate to contest the 2011 election. Former Commissioner of Information in Bafarawa administration, Alhaji Ibrahim Gidado told Vanguard that there were some unresolved litigations that are still in the courts, which determination only will dictate the line of action to be taken by DPP for 2011 election. What the Supreme Court did was to put on hold the Appeal Court intended judgement against which Wamakko had complained to the Apex court in Abuja.

Not even the party’s governorship candidate in the 2007 election, Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi has registered any interest for now. While pundits view the situation as coming from the plans by the DPP to form alliance with the AC, a more progressive view as being a fall-out situation, which seem to result in Bafarawa and Maigari going their parted ways.

A glimpse of division
A recent press conference attended by some journalists strongly supports the progressive view. At the press conference, Maigari Dingyadi was said to have praised programmes and policies of the Government of Wamakko, a situation that is hardly witnessed in Nigerian politics . The texture of Nigerian politics does not allow a strong opposition party or its member to shower praises on the ruling party or its governor. So, for the praises to have come from no other person than a former opposition governorship candidate, speaks volumes of discontentment on his part.  According to a political analyst who chose not to be named, “this is a sign of disagreement between Bafarawa and Dingyadi.”

He added that “Dingyadi has seen the hand writing clearly on the wall. He may not be favoured to contest in the next election under whichever party that the DPP aligns with.” Vanguard checks reveal that Bafarawa now favours one Alhaji Maidamma Tangaza as governorship candidate under any arrangement.

Bafarawa’s stand
Even former governor and DPP presidential candidate, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa has not made any official statement regarding the office to which he intends to aspire, but his posters indicating his interest for Senatorial seat are seen pasted at strategic places. By and large, there does not seem to be any opposition party, as it is now, that can face or even beat the PDP.

Retinue of litigations
What again stood in the way of Wamakko/Shagari was the retinue of litigations, which beleaguered the courts.
With the Supreme Court’s resolution of all interlocutory issues relating to the appeal brought before it by the candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, Alhaji  Dingyadi in favour of Governor Wamakko, the pace has now been set for the 2011 general elections.

The crux of the matter at the Supreme Court was the interpretation of the judgement delivered by the Kaduna Division of the Court of Appeal on April 11, 2008, which annulled the April 14, 2007 governorship election and went ahead to order for a rerun to be participated by all parties that contested in the poll. The implication of the Appeal Court decision was that no party cum candidate that participated in  the annulled election was to be excluded.

The old and new PDP membership debacle
One important issue, which supporters of the PDP are worried about is the intra-fracas that the so-called new and the old PDP membership portend. Wamakko was contesting the governorship under the ANPP but the PDP had wooed him to contest under its flag and asked its then candidate, Mukhtari Shagari to be his running mate. Purportedly, there was an agreement that Wamakko would only be governor for a single term to give way for those he met in the party, impliedly, Shagari.

While Wamakko’s supporters have maintained that there was never such agreement and though Shagari has continued to keep mute over his ambition to contest the governorship seat, his supporters have been optimistic that Wamakko would respect the gentleman agreement, which the two sides had hitherto entered into. Politicians close to Shagari have also maintained closed lips on the issue of his ambition. So, whether there would be an agreed atmosphere for either Wamakko to contest for the second time or Shagari to contest, only time will tell. However, pundits suggest that if PDP fails to field Wamakko, the likelihood is there that he may join another party and the PDP may lose out.

Indicators of  PDP domination
What could be described as indicators of PDP continued success in elections in the state  may include the following

The PDP government of Wamakko has strove to remain on the threshold of fulfilling campaign promises to the electorate

Political parties are in shambles; the inactivity of those  supposed to be opposed to the ruling party is glaringly evident in the city and even villages of Sokoto;

Structurally, there is hardly any notice of the presence of rival political parties, insofar as those who present themselves as party officials appear more hungry than the voters;

Members of the DPP recently announced their defection from the party and, en-masse, joined the PDP. This included the only eight elected members of State House of Assembly.