2011: Is Katsina CPC’s testing ground?
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- Written by Tenimu Babayo
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In the run up to the 2011 elections in the country, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is definitely the party to watch. In just few months after its formation, its fortune has continued to rise and rise with phenomenal inroad into unlikely ground and areas. So the party’s membership in northern states like Niger, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Plateau, Katsina among others according to a recent survey, has risen to several millions and counting.
Analysts have attributed the growth of the party within such a short time to the influence and popularity of General Muhammadu Buhari. With this phenomenal growth and rise, analysts are optimistic that the party will shock the establishment in several states especially in the North including those where the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hold sway in the coming elections.Bookmakers are even betting on the prospects of General Muhammadu Buhari winning the presidential elections next year.
Key among the states that the party is hopeful of landslide in the forthcoming elections is Katsina. Although Kaduna State has been the General’s undisputed political base and he had emphasised this at different fora, many believe Katsina remain the test ground of his success and influence in the coming elections. Those who hold this view point at the fact that Katsina is the General’s home to buttress their argument.
Their argument can hardly be faulted on this ground. Although many are wont to point to the fact that the General had lost in his home state in past elections, however, his influence in the state is enough to see him through if he plays his cards right. However if fillers from his home state and newspaper reports are anything to go by there is no doubt that the General and his party are out for difficult times in the forthcoming elections.
The party’s undoing as it were, is what the chairman of its elders committee, Mamman Abubakar DanMusa, referred to recently in the wake of crisis that engulfed it as “blind ambition” by those who seek leadership on its platform.
Dan Musa at a press conference to address the controversy that trailed the party’s consensus arrangement over who becomes its governorship aspirant in the next election, accused those who had lost in the power struggle and saw the CPC as a party with the promise to help them realize their ‘blind’ political ambition for the crisis.
Based on agreement by stakeholders, the chairman of the Elders Committee was mandated to come out with a candidate that will be acceptable to all to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming governorship election in the state. The Major Bala Adamu-led committee was then inaugurated for the purpose on October 19, 2010. Other members of the committee are Sada Sodangi, Bala Kankiya, Kabir Mashi, Hamisu Buhari and Kasimu Ibrahim Danja.
On Thursday December 9, 2010, the committee submitted its report to the Armaya’u-led caretaker committee in which it recommended Senator Yakubu Lado Danmarke as the consensus candidate to fly the party’s guber flag from among the other four aspirants, namely the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari; former gubernatorial candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Engineer Nura Khalil and former ANPP senatorial candidate, Alhaji Munnir Yakubu.
The result shows that while four members voted for senator Danmarke, one each voted for the former speaker Masari and Alhaji Mannir Yakubu. The committee’s result, unexpected as it were, did not go down well with key personalities including the former speaker who allegedly denied the existence of the consensus arrangement. The speaker’s position is contrary to that of the chairman of the elders committee, Dr Yusha’u Armaya’u and other member of the committee. The trio of Danmmusa, Armaya’u and Danmarke were unanimous that the consensus committee was suggested by the aspirants including Masari as a way of making the selection process easier. In fact Damarke insisted that, it was the former Speaker that even suggested for a single consensus arrangement.
However, the Masari camp has absolved him of any wronging on the matter. The camp said the committee had stray from its original mandate which is to reconcile feuding party members ahead of the primaries. It accused the committee of taking gratification from one of the aspirant in order to endorse him. Masari has since declared for the topmost seat in the state despite the crisis that trailed the consensus arrangement.
However the crisis has further deepened the existing gulf within the party in the state as various camps go for each other’s juggler. But pray between Lado, Danmusa, Armaya’u and Masari who is really telling the truth? In the accusation and counter accusation that trailed the outcome of the consensus, the former speaker seems to be alone. Could the trio, all honourable men like the former speaker, be aligning against him? What will be their motive; money like the Masari’a camp are alleging? These are the questions on the lip of observers of the state politics.
As stakeholder search for solution to a crisis-free primaries the point made by Danmusa at the heat of the controversy over the outcome of the consensus that “the problem of the party was caused by people who didn’t have a constituency or who had lost in the power struggle and saw the CPC as a party with the promise to help them realize their ‘blind’ political ambition”, is something to ponder on. Analysts had earlier won at the heat of defection that grip the party that one the factors that is likely to affect the party’s fortune in the coming elections in some states is the party’s choice of governorship aspirants. Most of the aspirants favoured to fly the party’s governorship flag in the coming elections especially in states deemed to be strategic to the General’s victory, analysts contended then, are estranged members of other political parties other than ANPP who defected to the CPC. These ‘strangers’ as they are now referred to, are blocking the aspirations of aggrieved former ANPP members who had hoped that the birth of the CPC will provide respite for them. The development is creating bad blood between those who thronged the party alongside General Buhari from ANPP and estranged former members of other political parties who later defected to the CPC.
That this is happening in Gen Buhari’s home state where many had hope will be a test ground for CPC in the coming elections is unfortunate.
Babayo wrote in from Karu, Abuja
Articles
2011: Is Katsina CPC’s testing ground?
Category: Comments Written by Tenimu Babayo Hits: 5328
In the run up to the 2011 elections in the country, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is definitely the party to watch. In just few months after its formation, its fortune has continued to rise and rise with phenomenal inroad into unlikely ground and areas. So the party’s membership in northern states like Niger, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Plateau, Katsina among others according to a recent survey, has risen to several millions and counting.
Analysts have attributed the growth of the party within such a short time to the influence and popularity of General Muhammadu Buhari. With this phenomenal growth and rise, analysts are optimistic that the party will shock the establishment in several states especially in the North including those where the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hold sway in the coming elections.Bookmakers are even betting on the prospects of General Muhammadu Buhari winning the presidential elections next year.
Key among the states that the party is hopeful of landslide in the forthcoming elections is Katsina. Although Kaduna State has been the General’s undisputed political base and he had emphasised this at different fora, many believe Katsina remain the test ground of his success and influence in the coming elections. Those who hold this view point at the fact that Katsina is the General’s home to buttress their argument.
Their argument can hardly be faulted on this ground. Although many are wont to point to the fact that the General had lost in his home state in past elections, however, his influence in the state is enough to see him through if he plays his cards right. However if fillers from his home state and newspaper reports are anything to go by there is no doubt that the General and his party are out for difficult times in the forthcoming elections.
The party’s undoing as it were, is what the chairman of its elders committee, Mamman Abubakar DanMusa, referred to recently in the wake of crisis that engulfed it as “blind ambition” by those who seek leadership on its platform.
Dan Musa at a press conference to address the controversy that trailed the party’s consensus arrangement over who becomes its governorship aspirant in the next election, accused those who had lost in the power struggle and saw the CPC as a party with the promise to help them realize their ‘blind’ political ambition for the crisis.
Based on agreement by stakeholders, the chairman of the Elders Committee was mandated to come out with a candidate that will be acceptable to all to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming governorship election in the state. The Major Bala Adamu-led committee was then inaugurated for the purpose on October 19, 2010. Other members of the committee are Sada Sodangi, Bala Kankiya, Kabir Mashi, Hamisu Buhari and Kasimu Ibrahim Danja.
On Thursday December 9, 2010, the committee submitted its report to the Armaya’u-led caretaker committee in which it recommended Senator Yakubu Lado Danmarke as the consensus candidate to fly the party’s guber flag from among the other four aspirants, namely the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari; former gubernatorial candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Engineer Nura Khalil and former ANPP senatorial candidate, Alhaji Munnir Yakubu.
The result shows that while four members voted for senator Danmarke, one each voted for the former speaker Masari and Alhaji Mannir Yakubu. The committee’s result, unexpected as it were, did not go down well with key personalities including the former speaker who allegedly denied the existence of the consensus arrangement. The speaker’s position is contrary to that of the chairman of the elders committee, Dr Yusha’u Armaya’u and other member of the committee. The trio of Danmmusa, Armaya’u and Danmarke were unanimous that the consensus committee was suggested by the aspirants including Masari as a way of making the selection process easier. In fact Damarke insisted that, it was the former Speaker that even suggested for a single consensus arrangement.
However, the Masari camp has absolved him of any wronging on the matter. The camp said the committee had stray from its original mandate which is to reconcile feuding party members ahead of the primaries. It accused the committee of taking gratification from one of the aspirant in order to endorse him. Masari has since declared for the topmost seat in the state despite the crisis that trailed the consensus arrangement.
However the crisis has further deepened the existing gulf within the party in the state as various camps go for each other’s juggler. But pray between Lado, Danmusa, Armaya’u and Masari who is really telling the truth? In the accusation and counter accusation that trailed the outcome of the consensus, the former speaker seems to be alone. Could the trio, all honourable men like the former speaker, be aligning against him? What will be their motive; money like the Masari’a camp are alleging? These are the questions on the lip of observers of the state politics.
As stakeholder search for solution to a crisis-free primaries the point made by Danmusa at the heat of the controversy over the outcome of the consensus that “the problem of the party was caused by people who didn’t have a constituency or who had lost in the power struggle and saw the CPC as a party with the promise to help them realize their ‘blind’ political ambition”, is something to ponder on. Analysts had earlier won at the heat of defection that grip the party that one the factors that is likely to affect the party’s fortune in the coming elections in some states is the party’s choice of governorship aspirants. Most of the aspirants favoured to fly the party’s governorship flag in the coming elections especially in states deemed to be strategic to the General’s victory, analysts contended then, are estranged members of other political parties other than ANPP who defected to the CPC. These ‘strangers’ as they are now referred to, are blocking the aspirations of aggrieved former ANPP members who had hoped that the birth of the CPC will provide respite for them. The development is creating bad blood between those who thronged the party alongside General Buhari from ANPP and estranged former members of other political parties who later defected to the CPC.
That this is happening in Gen Buhari’s home state where many had hope will be a test ground for CPC in the coming elections is unfortunate.
Babayo wrote in from Karu, Abuja