BY ALIYU DANGIDA
Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State had always been in a pitch political battle with his predecessor, Senator Saminu Turaki. On two occasions (1999 and 2003), Turaki, who ran on the platform of the All Peoples Party (APP) and later renamed All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)  beat him to the governorship seat. Lamido won the seat in 2007 after Turaki had served out his two terms and both men made peace part of which was the accommodation of Turaki as a PDP senator post May 2007.

Now, the romance is over. An embittered Turaki has left the PDP for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with a vow to teach Lamido another political lesson.

A seeming prepared Lamido is ready for the battle. He is going to square up with eight opponents including Alhaji Badaru Abubakar (ACN), Barrister Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia (ANPP) and Hon. Farouk Adamu Aliyu (CPC), who incidentally is the governor’s nephew.

Although, the outcome of the primaries fragmented some opposition elements, the politics of the New World as the state is fondly referred to has shown sparks in terms of pronouncement. It is still debatable if those sparks could cause a major upset for the ruling party at the April polls.

The bad blood generated by the Lamido and Turaki feud saw the latter defecting from PDP to ACN with pockets of his loyalists and there was no corresponding effort by the leadership of the ruling party to reconcile the two gladiators. If there was an effort to reconcile the duo, it has not yielded any positive result.

The ANPP primaries produced the former Deputy Governor Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia as governorship candidate through a consensus arrangement that was endorsed by the general congress of the party, while the rancour that greeted the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) primary election really unsettled the ranks and file of the party.

As it were, three  major contenders are challenging the incumbent Governor during the forthcoming race. Alhaji Sule Lamido’s nephew Alhaji Farouk Adamu Aliyu as flag bearer of the CPC is leading the mugging, a business magnate, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar is the choice of the ACN, while a constitutional lawyer and former Deputy Governor of the state, Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, is ANPP’s candidate.

SULE LAMIDO (PDP)

Having spent his first four years in office working to make Jigawa a modest state, Lamido is set for his re_election for second term in office. No doubt he is the man to beat. His supporters say Lamido’s achievements in areas of human endeavor especially infrastructural development would work in his favour. But his opponents say that his closeness with Abuja may pose a light headache at home.

ALHAJI BADARU ABUBAKAR BABURA  (ACN)

The former ANPP Board of Trustees (BOT) member, a philanthropist, an entrepreneur of international repute and staunch supporter of General Muhammadu Buhari is also a close associate of Senator Turaki.  His  move to ACN  lifted his political status among the commoners.

His financial chest, political experience, connection and his philanthropic gestures have won him political followership and this coupled with Senator Turaki’s influence among the rural dwellers may serve as an added advantage.

However, Badaru has the hurdle of incumbency factor and newness of his party to cross.  The current strength of the ACN in the state is suspect as many are yet to come to terms with the party which was hitherto unknown in the New World.

BARRISTER IBRAHIM HASSAN HADEJIA (ANPP)

The immediate past Deputy Governor, is a Turaki loyalist, a transparent and honest politician. His greatest advantage was his seriousness to duty, coupled with his transparent posture, credibility and honesty as a deputy governor. Also going for him is his principled commitment to the ANPP which has seen many commend him for being a man of principles.

A trained lawyer and professional banker, he rose through the ranks of leadership first as a Commissioner of Justice, then as Secretary to the State Government and then deputy governor. The fact that his political district, Jigawa North-East senatorial zone has never produced a Governor in the last 20 years of the state’s existence may also work in his favor.

He nevertheless faces a number of hurdles. The perceived disadvantages include: many politicians in the state are not comfortable about his seeming transparency and down to earth posture. He is also described as a bureaucrat in politics by many politicians in the state. Hassan Hadejia, however, lacks the financial chest to confront the power of the incumbency.

HON FAROUK ADAMU ALIYU (CPC)

A former member of the House Representatives, is a nephew to Governor Sule Lamido. Farouk is the sole financier of the CPC in Jigawa State. Despite his relationship with the incumbent Governor, the anti-third term lawmaker maintains a stiff opposition to the government of Jigawa State.

He faces some obstacles including a weak financial muscle. Some observers claim Adamu Aliyu lacks political experience and the maturity to govern a complex state divided along emirate considerations.