e NOW THAT BAR.M.A.ABUBAKAR WAS FORCED TO RECOGNISE KATAGUM When I first heard the news, the APC flag bearer will be launching his campaigns in my home town of Azare. Two things immediately occupied my mind; the first was trying to understand the wisdom behind the political decision, was it borne out of genuine desire for reconciliation in order to assuage the people of Katagum who are still feeling short change due to the way things turn out in APC. While the second is whether it was his party that choose Azare for him, because of it’s strategic importance in terms of voter strength and also happens to be the primary constituency of their main challenger, Hon. Muhammad Auwalu Jatau of the PDP. Readers should endeavor to understand my skepticisms of the man in tandem with the popular saying that “There is no smoke without”. What really bothers me is the haywire politics and disdain that was crudely display by the man in the dubious and shameless charade they employ in selecting his running mate. The shrewdness that characterized that episode has impliedly make it categorically clear to all men of understanding that the man don’t need the support of the katagum and he is ready to explore our differences to feather his own nest through the application of Divide and Rule. Let me also use the opportunity to remind any keen observer that BAR.M.A.ABUBAKA R body language since after the primaries has not help matters, because everyday we saw a display of a grand scheme that was meant to further alienate our people and make them politically irrelevant. The man should know that by now, our people fully understand that just like President Jonathan, he doesn’t give a damn about our feelings or our votes. So, the question is why would a man that has shown this level of disrespect to our people now choose to launch his campaign in Azare? Cynics like my humble self will be forgiven, if we view this political decision as part of a grand scheme to further up the ante of divide and rule politics or may be to create a dubious impression that he still values our votes. I thought since he has successfully use his loot to buy the conscience of unpatriotic delegates and the state party executives, he don’t need to come down from his high horse to reconcile with ordinary voters. Why not just ignore them as some of the APC aspirants are doing, because they thought all they need to coast home to victory is Hurricane Buhari. On a second thought, am beginning to suspect, that being a former INEC resident commissioner has put him in a vantage position to realize that even though Katagum occupied fourth position in terms of voter strength in our state. Any wise aspirants cannot ignore such a potential constituency that is known to be a safe ground for the opposition. Based on INEC records, below is how the first four local governments stand in terms of voter strength; 1. Bauchi Local Government; 461,170 2. Toro Local Government; 222,281 3. Ningi Local Government; 172,691 4. Katagum Local Government; 161,354 Sourced from INEC records. People should also be mindful of the fact that the governorship elections will be conducted two weeks after the presidential. So, based on the above, the man might not fully exploit Hurricane Buhari like those vying for senate and House of Representatives. I guess this is very much responsible for his sudden turn around. Although, this decision may be a step in the right direction, if at all the man is really seeking for reconciliation. But, am afraid, it will not make any serious impact as things have been allowed to degenerate to their lowest ebb. However, in politics, one cannot rule out the possibility of reaching a consensus on any issue. For now, we will calmly keep our fingers cross and monitor things as the drama unfolds. I wish all the APC flag bearers a successful and peaceful campaign launch. May the Almighty Allah continue to bless our country with prosperity and ever lasting peace!!!
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:39:32 +0000