Political permutations in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in North West geopolitical zone are beginning to heat up as stakeholders have started taking positions.
The emerging scenario, especially in Jigawa, the home state of the party’s national vice chairman for North West, Amb. Ibrahim Kazaure, is steeped in the throes of defections, anti-party tendencies and betrayals.
The ruling APC in the state, which benefited from the political tsunami of President Muhammadu Bihari in 2015, is said to be jittery as there will be no incumbency factor to fall back on in 2023, as was the case in 2019.
Another issue of concern is the lacklustre performance of the ruling APC that has further impoverished Nigerians. Most of the electoral promises remained unfulfilled hence the feeling that the party might be rejected like PDP was in 2015.
For the PDP, it is positive development for its chances in the 2023, as the party has been working to ensure that it retakes the government at all levels. However, personal interests of members and the leaders may rob the party that golden opportunity.
Hence the ruling party is allegedly being proactive in its strategy by planting moles in the fold of PDP leading to it’s balkanization into factions in the four states under APC in the zone.
As for states like Sokoto and Zanfara under the control of PDP, APC has not been able to penetrate to cause such factions. PDP’s supporters, who are concerned about the development, have fingered the Northwest zonal chairman, Kazaure, for allegedly being the willing tool in the hands of APC.
Again, since the tenure of the zonal chairman would elapse in three months’ time, it was gathered that he has been reaching out to ensure he cuts a deal with the ruling APC. Many have accused Kazaure of hobnobbing with APC leaders from whom he has allegedly been receiving favours in terms of contracts and other patronages.
Those opposed to Kazaure have also accused him of flying a kite, which he has been using at the party’s national level to cause more disaffection in his home state, Jigawa.
His accusers say having run out of ideas, coupled with the fact that he is not a grassroots politician, the best way to ensure he remains relevant is to attack the Lamido political structure through propaganda that the former governor was grooming his son to take over the structure of the party.
It was gathered that this was a good way to stave off the possible emergence of the former governor’s son, Mustapha Lamido. It was learnt that the ambassador benefited immensely from Lamido’s magnanimity. He was a former ambassador, minister and zonal PDP chairman courtesy of the former governor.
His calculation, according to those in the state who know the goings-on, is that should they allow Lamido’s son to step into his father’s shoes at this time, the rest of them would be retired from politics.
This is why the propaganda against him has gained traction as some youths have been attacking the personality of Lamido on social media. They are also canvasing how every PDP stakeholder rallied round the party’s candidate in 2015 and 2019 governorship election, Aminu Ringim, to ensure the party carried the day.
However, they are bitter that the same Kazaure worked against the party’s candidate, which led to the party’s failure at the polls.
The party’s candidate in the 2019 election, who it was gathered, could not muster resources for campaigns but vied based on the goodwill of the party and support from Lamido’s backing, has now found a veritable alliance in Kazaure after he lost election for the second time.
It was gathered that Ringim has been grumbling over purported betrayal by the party’s leaders, including Lamido himself. Our correspondent learnt that after he attempted to join APC but failed based on lack of agreement on commissionership slots and other juicy positions he bargained for his supporters, he is now being funded to sponsor people for PDP’s congress in the state by some APC’s stalwarts.
Kazaure, it was gathered, presented Ringim at PDP Secretariat, as a formidable and popular leader the party could not afford to lose. So, the group wants the national leadership to be wary of the zonal chairman, as it would be dangerous to discuss sensitive party strategies in the presence of Kazaure, as he would reveal them to APC.
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