Buhari makes Impressive Push in more States after 12 yrs trying

After 12 years of fruitless efforts to return to the seat he was forced out of as military head of state 30 years ago, through a coup d’etat, Muhammadu Buhari appears to be coasting to victory in the just concluded presidential election.

 

The results of the election as announced by different collation officers yesterday in Abuja, show a surprise deviation from all permutations.

In Kano, the APC polled 1,903,999 while the PDP got 215,779; Kaduna- APC 1,127,760 to beat PDP which garnered 484,085 and in Jigawa, APC got 885,988 as against PDP’s 142,904.

PRESIDENTIAL POLLS RESULTS AFTER THE 18 STATES AND THE FCT ANNOUNCED BY INEC

In Katsina, APC  polled 1,345,441 while PDP got 98,937; Ondo State, APC got 299,889 while PDP secured 251,368 and Kogi State where APC polled 264,851 to floor PDP which got 149,961.

From the analysis of the released results in some states- Ekiti, Ogun, Enugu, Kogi, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Nasarawa, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kwara, Kaduna Anambra, Abia and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to have made a surprise inroad into core People’s Democratic Party (PDP) strongholds.

For instance, in the entire South West, where Buhari lost woefully in 2011, this time around, he shocked the opposition with sweeping victory.

In Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun and Osun, the former military head of state did not only win, but recorded a landslide with very wide margin between him and his closest rival, President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP.

Niger State, which is traditionally PDP territory, also fell to the moving Buhari train.

In 2011, the PDP won Kogi and Ondo, even though the latter was under the control of the Labour Party (LP). Following the defection of Olusegun Mimiko, governor of Ondo State to the PDP a few months ago, it was expected that he would be an asset to the party at the centre during the presidential election.

Apart from losing the presidential poll in the state, the PDP also lost two of the three senatorial seats to the opposition party and five of the nine House of Representatives’ seats to the APC as well. This is the first time the APC is clinching major political seats since 2003.

Political analysts attribute the loss to “political miscalculation” of Jonathan’s appointment of Olusegun Mimiko as his campaign coordinator in the South West. They also alleged that Mimiko’s return to the PDP had further polarised the party in the state.

Recall that after his defection from the Labour Party (LP) to PDP, 29 days to the commencement of the party’s primaries, Mimiko was not only given the structure of the party in the state, the state and local government executives were all dissolved and members of LP appointed in their stead.

What we have seen as the PDP outing in the state, analysts say, may have been a result of protest votes against the party.

Moreover, explaining the possible reason for the defeat of the PDP in Kogi, a political affairs commentator who is vast in the politics of the state, said frustration, occasioned by alleged misrule of the incumbent government in the state must be blamed.

He said, “It is not surprising that the state which is typically regarded as the PDP stronghold  of  the party, fell into  the  hands of  APC because of lack of  focus which has characterised  the  current administration of  Idris  Wada  in the  state.”

The alleged misrule, according to sources in the state “pushed the people to the point that they have become tired and fed-up with the style of leadership in the state.

“The state of infrastructure has deteriorated; not only that, teachers and local government staff are disgruntled, as a result of ill-treatment.  “They cannot remember when last they received their full salaries. Generally, things have gone from bad to worse in the last four years in the state.

“From education to healthcare and to basic needs of the people of the state, everything appears to have collapsed,” a source close to the local government told BusinessDay.

The PDP’s victory in Nasarawa State has also been a subject of surprise, as observers said they expected APC, the ruling party, in the state to clinch victory.

An analyst who explained the possible cause of the PDP victory in the state, said those who had followed the goings-on in the state would not be taken aback at the development.

“Although the governor of the state is a member of APC, the state is predominantly a PDP state. In the first place, the entire members of the State House of Assembly are PDP.

“The governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura himself got to the seat through protest votes, because the electorate was not pleased with the choice of the PDP candidate for the governor’s post in the 2011 election.”

It was also said that they even told the governor in very clear terms that they would only allow him to govern for one term.

Beside this, during the PDP campaign rally in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Senate President, David Mark revealed that the entire North Central region, held a meeting and agreed that they were going to deliver the region in one block vote to President Jonathan. So, winning the state is seen by some observers as part of fulfilling the promise.

“The people of the state are also holding that the core north does not perceive them as their kith and kin. They argue that it is only when they are in trouble and need the population to rescue them that they patronise them, adding that when there is booty to be shared, they would be shoved aside. The core north also sees those in the middle belt, including Nasarawa indigenes, as Christians and therefore ‘infidels’ who do not practise the true religion of Islam,” the analyst said.

“So, when the governor was in the throes of impeachment, with a panel raised by the PDP-dominated House, the governor ran to President Jonathan for protection and he was not disappointed, as the impeachment threat and process fizzled out”. Pundits say the presidential election may have presented a fitting opportunity to appreciate the president with a win in the state,” he added.

Some observers have also expressed surprise that despite the influence of Mu’azuBabangida Aliyu, governor of Niger State, he could not deliver his party.

Many had thought that Aliyu, being among the strongest supporters of President Jonathan, could grab the state for his party. For instance, during the crisis in PDP that culminated into governors Chibuike Amaechi,  Aliyu Wamakko, Fati Ahmed and Mohammed Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso cross-carpeting to APC, Aliyu was seen as a rallying point for his colleagues and the north. He had also been so vocal that many Nigerians felt this time that he would capture the state for his party.

But the PDP lost the state in the presidential election. What was also a big surprise to pundits, was that Aliyu, the chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum and one of the most vocal PDP stalwarts, lost his senate bid to David Umaru, the APC candidate. While he polled 46,459 votes, the candidate of APC got 149,443 votes.

Analysts have attributed the loss to a number of factors.

The defection of Ahmed Ibeto, Aliyu’s deputy, has been tipped as a contributing factor. The defection was a demonstration that PDP’s house is not in order, as the majority of members in the party feel deeply marginalised, say pundits.

Also, the voting has been influenced by religious and sentiments.

“Many people in the North see the APC as its own party, owing to religious and ethnic reasons,” said Matthew Ibeabuchi, a political analyst.

Others also attribute the failures to the disappointments that citizens of the state have experienced at the hands of both the sitting governor and the president.

Observers say many in the state are quite disatisfied with what they describe as “more talk and less work”.

The dwindling fortunes of the PDP in the state may also be linked to the displeasure of some sections in the party who feel that Aliyu handpicked Umaru Nasko as PDP gubernatorial candidate.