As the dates for gubernatorial and state legislative elections on Saturday March 18 approach, political observers could continue with an apparent redrawing of the Nigerian electoral map that began during the February 23 presidential and parliamentary elections. I predict it will.
This means that the rule of some political parties and some gladiators in states is determined by elections. Thus, they either defend a "political kingdom" and either acquire territory for their party or be deposed.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai's Kaduna state offers such an interesting scenario. In the February 25 elections, the People's Democratic Party nearly made the governor-general a king without a kingdom. PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar defeated APC candidate Bola Tinubu in the province.
Atiku defeated his Tinubu with his 554,360 votes, Tinubu came in second with his 399,293 votes and Labor's Peter Obi came in third with his 294,494 votes.
El-Rufai has been governor under the APC since 2015. Under his rule, however, the APC lost his three seats in the Senate to his PDP in national parliamentary elections.
The leading opposition party also won 10 of his 16 seats in the State House of Representatives. The Senate Central-North District seat was won by PDP's Lawal Usman with 225,066 votes and APC's Abdullahi Sani, who won 182,035 votes, beating Gov. El-rufai's former chief of staff and budget planner.
Labor Party's Ibrahim Sani, candidate Zarya with his 87,510 votes put him third, while the New Nigerian People's Party's Umar Tijani finished him fourth with 24,395 votes, and pollster Ahmadu he said Bello. University professor Haruna Adam said.
The PDP also won the Kaduna North Senate constituency, where its candidate Khalid Mustafa won, defeating incumbent APC Senator Suleiman Kwari.
Mustafa received his 250,826 votes and defeated Kwari who received 190,008 votes. battle of the governors
Against the above background, many see Saturday's gubernatorial election as challenging and, of course, interesting, the battle to conclude between El-Rufai's APC candidate and his PDP. I'm here.
As of March 6, nine of his gubernatorial candidates in the state are reportedly supporting his PDP candidate, Isa Ashiru, as the consensus candidate.
Under the Kaduna State Rescue and Rebuild Government Candidate Forum platform, they claim the APC's Muslim-to-Muslim ticket is just a ruse to divide the state along religious lines. .
The nine political parties included leaders of the Youth Progressive Party, Alliance for Action, United People's Movement, All People's Party, All Progressive Grand Alliance, National Salvation Movement, and Consensus Party, ADP, Zenith Labor Party. .
At a press conference in Kaduna, Forum chairman and YPP gubernatorial candidate Sani Yaya said he had decided to endorse the PDP candidate. Experts believe the PDP could have its best performance since 2015, judging by how the state voted during presidential elections. If the voting pattern continues, the PDP could be victorious again on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticketing strategy, introduced by El-Rufai, who worked for him in 2019, could also speak for APC gubernatorial candidate Uva Sani.
Prior to being elected to the Senate in 2019, Sani served as El Rufay's political advisor in 2015. He is the Senator's Deputy for Kaduna Central Senate District.
His campaign jingles and shows dominate nearly every local his radio station in Kaduna.
He has vowed to review and further develop El Rufai's achievements over the past seven and a half years, but the public in general does not seem to agree with the governor's achievements, and Christians in particular reserve the possibility. There is. The APC Muslim-to-Muslim ticket is what the opposition is using to fight the APC.
Elections will be held primarily between his APC and PDP, but there is also a key factor, and that is the growing influence of the Labor Party. LP gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Asake was president of the Southern Kaduna People's Coalition and was popular in Southern Kaduna. Asake is an obstacle that APC and PDP must grapple with.
Saturday's big battle will undoubtedly be between his APC and the PDP, with the PDP looking to capitalize on the state's presidential election successes, while the ruling APC is set to continue his February 25 defeat and disastrous politics. Save a retiring governor from a catastrophe.