BY ALIYU DANGIDA

The political configuration after the last round of elections in Jigawa state has been redrawn. The towering political profile of the two term  governor of the state, Senator Saminu Turaki was significantly diminished following his inability to lead his new party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN to victory in the recent elections.

Turaki had few months before the polls decamped to the ACN alongside some prominent personalities  in the wake of  irreconcilable difference with his estranged successor in office, Gov Sule Lamido.

The 2011 general elections adjudged the freest and fairest in recent Nigerian history saw the ruling party Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the New World  exert itself despite attacks and jibes here and there from the opposition. In the end, the PDP swept all the 11 seats on offer to the State in the House of Representatives, 3 Senate seats while it secured 29 out of the 30 seats in the state house of assembly.

The landslide victory was a  surprise to many who had expected the former governor to exploit his grassroots popularity to defeat the PDP in the polls.

The boasts of the ACN that it would uproot the Lamido administration which had in turn raised the hopes of party members in the end turned out to be a false hope.

What counted for Lamido and the PDP were a combination of incumbency and the projects executed by the administration in the last four years which in the eyes of some have not been done by any other government since the creation of the state 20 years ago.

While some are of the belief that failure of the opposition’s parties in the state to join forces in producing a credible candidate to challenge Governor Lamido in the governorship election allowed the PDP to run away with its sweeping victory in the governorship poll.

The victory by Governor Lamido over Turaki’s forces has been described by many as a slap to the ex_governor‘s face given the fact that he, Turaki had allegedly ascribed himself as the one who brought the incumbent governor to power and was as such in total control of the state politics.

With the elections having come and gone those who winners settling down to plan how to execute their mandates, the losers are flooding the election petition tribunal with allegations of irregularities in the conduct of the elections.

Among those who have filed petitions are Senator Turaki who failed in his bid to win back his Senate seat and his former Attorney General, Isah Alkassim who contested for the House of Representatives who also failed in his bid on the ticket of the ACN.

The two opposition gubernatorial candidates were Honourable Farouk Adamu of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC a cousin to the governor and a business tycoon, Alhaji Badaru Talamiz who despite his huge resources and connections did not make it.

With governor Lamido haven won election for the second term groups of people from across the State and all walks of life are daily paying him visit to congratulate him.