BY Wole Mosadomi

Senator Nuhu Aliyu was until his election to the Senate in 1999 synonymous with the Police Force. He retired as a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) and after some few years  went into active politics. On the inauguration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state he became the pioneer chairman of the party in Niger state.

He, however, subsequently resigned his appointment as the State Chairman of the PDP and contested for the Senate from his Constituency – Zone C comprising of Kontagora, Mariga, New Bussa, Wushishi, among other towns and he eventually won.

Since he succeeded in clinching the seat, Senator Nuhu Aliyu has until now remained “unbeatable” thereby making him among the five longest serving senators in the country.

Having served for three terms, he is still warming up to clinch the seat in the Saturday election and if he succeeds, he will be going for a fourth term.

Till now, the wining strategies adopted by the Niger State born Senator still remain a mystery even to the electorate who are the determining factors to his success at the polls.

His success at the polls in 1998 was understandable being the first chairman of the most acceptable and popular party in the state and the various candidates for almost all the elective posts in the state then went in unopposed especially as there was no strong opposition from other political parties in the state.

Even in the 2007 general elections that eventually sealed his third term bid, the election as dissected by political analysts in the state was not enough to test the popularity and acceptability of the distinguished Senator though he eventually won.

Twice in recent times the governor Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu was in Kontagora for a public function with Senator Aliyu and other top government and party supporters and on both occasions he was openly rejected by the electorate who came out vehemently that they were tired of him.

His major offence in the view of some constituents is that he is not representing them well at the Senate and that he has abandoned his constituency and above all has not done much to show as his constituency projects unlike his other colleagues from within and outside the state who have numerous constituency projects already commissioned or about to be commissioned to their credit.

After the two episodes, in Kontagora between 2009 and last year, the Senator quickly went back to his constituency to “dialogue” with his people. At the end of it, he ended up distributing about 25 vehicles of various brands and about 160 motorcycles in New Bussa to members of his constituency.

Rather than pacifying them, the goodies ended up tearing the constituents apart.

The expectation was that he would loose woefully at the PDP primaries but surprisingly, Senator Aliyu’s political gimmick came to play again as he defeated a debutant to the race and a female contestant, Hajiya Amina Yusuf marginally and also his constant opponent, Alhaji Aliyu Garafini and chairman of Borgu local government, Barrister Aliyu Wara.

Senator Aliyu must have seen the handwriting boldly written on the wall this time around as he has “begged” the electorate to give him a last chance promising to quit politics by the year 2015 to give the younger generation a chance.

He made the appeal three weeks ago during the governor’s campaign tour of his constituency but whether the appeal is generally acceptable to his people will surely come to play after the Saturday National Assembly election.

His constituency this time around is one of the strongholds of the CPC where any candidate, his/her popularity not withstanding is likely to be a major contender.

If he eventually wins in his fourth term bid, then, Senator Nuhu Aliyu need to be visited by other politicians across the country to tap from his political sagacity and ingenuity.