Issues threatening 2015 election in Kano

Only a few weeks to the next general election, speculations are rife that it is going to be the most competitive, since the return of democracy in the country 16 years ago. At pre- sent, the People Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressive Congress (APC), is the two most visible political parties. Here, in the northern state of Kano, one of the most active centres of politics, and a state with the highest voting population, the political actors from the PDP, and APC, are criss-crossing all the 44 local government areas of the state, mobilising for votes for their respective political parties, and candidates. Prevailing situation in Kano is indicative that the elections, fixed to hold from 14th to 28th of February, is being confronted by the growing obstacles of insecurity, and the seeming inadequate preparations on the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). An example of the unfolding activities of the militant thugs threatening the election occurred recently, when immediately after President Goodluck Jonathan campaign tour of the state, violence broke out resulting in the death of one person, while vehicles bearing PDP posters were burnt.

The violence occurred along Hotoro Area, near the NNPC Mega Petrol Station, when one of the militant thugs belonging to PDP pulled down a campaign banner mounted by APC on the road side.  Also, in Gwumaja area in the metropolis, two (2) persons were killed during an all out fight between militant thugs of the two political parties.   Since, the incident, the leaders of the respective political parties in the state have directed their militant thugs to be prepared to defend themselves, if attacked by thugs from opposing party. The other occurrence threatening the election was the issue of inadequate preparedness observed on the part of the election management body, which is the  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This trend is noticed in the area of the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), which up till date, only less than 60 percent of the total population of the estimated 5 million voters in the state have been able to collect their cards. Although INEC’s Attahiru Jega, a professor, last Friday, at a function in Abuja, assured that the commission will ensure that the electorate, who had not got their voters cards obtain them a day before the election. However, despite, the
situation at hand, most of the electorate in the state, are not in sup- port of the recent advice offered by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dansuki, that the election should be postponed. Most people in the state are of the view that the call made by the NSA was an indication that the government of President Goodluck Jonathan is not comfortable with the situation concerning its re-election plan, and wants the date fixed for the election changed in order to get more prepared. Facts on the ground in the state shows that dominant number of the elector- ates in the state, like others in the other northern states, seems to be interested in voting for the APC`s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, during the presidential poll. Their resolve in this regards, according to observation, was driven primarily by ethnic and religious considerations, as well as what they described as the need to get a northern man to rule Nigeria, this time around,  after a long movement of power to the southern part of the country. The other issue that is driving their consideration is the state of insecurity which is taking place in the region that they believe President Goodluck Jonathan is deliberately not managing well.

The implication of these considerations on the part of the electorate was that one expects to see a dominant number of the voters in the state, irrespective of political affiliations, voting for Buhari.  However, most of the electorate in the state are yet to make up their minds on which of the candidates of the two major political parties-PDP, and APC, they will be voting for in the governorship election. As it is known, PDP in the state has former commissioner for water resource, Sagir Takai as its gubernatorial candidate,  while Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the incumbent deputy governor, is the APC candidate. On the ground assessment of the APC in Kano, ahead of the election revealed that there is a strong discernment within the party, as some of the political actors, who lost out of the contest for nomination for elective positions, have threatened to work against the party in the coming election. One of those who have vowed to work against the party is, Abdurrahman Kawu, a deputy minority leader of the party at the Federal House of Representatives that contested for the gubernatorial ticket of the party, and step down following a promise that he will be given a deputy governor position to Ganduje. Although the PDP is actively trying to manage its own share of internal crisis which ensued during its primaries in the state, some members of the party, such as Mohammed Abacha, son of former military head of state, and Akilu Indabawa, former S.A. on political affairs, in the office of vice-president, who seems ag- grieved about the way and manner the gubernatorial primarily of the party was conduct are still within the party. But, they have however vowed to work only for the re-election bid of President Jonathan, and against the aspiration of the Sagir Takai group in the party.