Yobe State Nigeria has always been the stronghold the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), since 1999 when the country returned to democracy. The party has continued to dominate the politics of the state, with little resistance from the opposition.
Though in 2007, ANPP was able to win the governorship and majority of seats in the House of Assembly but it was a pyrrhic victory. ANPP victory was subjected to a protracted legal battle between the late Governor Mamman Ali and Senator Usman Albishir.
Ali’s former deputy, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam is now left to carry on the battle. For now, ANPP has conceded the gubernatorial ticket to Gaidam and has also adopted candidates for the National Assembly seats in the state
This, according to a source, is to allow enough time for reconciliation in the party before the election. The party has also kicked off its campaign with rallies and one is not surprised that the first rally took place in Gashua in the Yobe North senatorial district. This was for obvious reason as the zone is under severe threat of being taken over by the opposition as some ANPP leaders in the zone have defected to PDP. They are include Albishir (who had represented the zone in the Senate twice), Hon. Ya’u Galadima (who won the ticket to represent Jakusko/Bade constituency in the House of Representatives )and Architect Shettima Saleh (who was a governorship aspirant at the last election and also a commissioner in the present administration until recently, when he defected).
With the belief that they are going to be a major threat to the victory of ANPP at the polls, Albishir had boasted that “ANPP is a sinking ship which has lost its bearing,” and that he has to leave before it finally collapses. Accoding to him “ANPP is deceased; we invested so much in the party. I was the founder of the party in Yobe State, in 1999 I was the person who brought the party here, I worked very hard to build the party in the state, I did my best, but, unfortunately some bad elements crept into the party and destroyed everything.”
“Before, ANPP stood for justice; it stood for fairness in the beginning. But unfortunately along the line, there were so many bad people, who are greedy, a group of bad elements who came into the party and destroyed it, even some of the founding fathers of the party, I don’t have to mention names, contributed immensely to the destruction of the party. So I decided that before things become worse, I better move out. So, I have found a lasting and more durable platform for my people in the PDP.”
This sentiment was also expressed by Saleh who was told to forget his senatorial ambition as the the party will favour the incumbent senator, Ahmed Lawal .
Saleh said the signals are there for everyone to see that the time is up for the ANPP which has formed government in the state since 1999. He revealed that he decided to resign from the cabinet of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam when he discovered that the governor was running ANPP in the state as his personal property.
But ANPP organized the rally to send a message to the opposition in the state that it still remains strong in the state. Former governor of the state, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim who was happy about the crowd at the rally “with the crowd I saw in Potiskum and here (Gashua), I have no doubt in my mind that ANPP is going to win the state. I can boast to say that any party I joined since 1983, when Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe raised my hand up in Gashua on this ground, has always won in the state and this will continue in 2011 and beyond. As far as I am concerned it was only two persons that left ANPP, Usman Albishir and Tijjani Zannah Zakariyya, the former speaker.”
He added that “PDP is a spent force in Yobe and no one is willing to vote for the party in Yobe. If PDP win just one seat in Yobe, I will retire from politics.”
Gaidam said he was surprise with the massive turn-out of the people at the rally and that it was an indication that the people of the zone are with his administration and the party.
Alhaji Sidi Karasuwa, a former party chairman, and present commissioner for housing who spoke at the rally said:“Those who left for PDP are there just to contest and continue with their usual activities of looting the treasury and we thank God that they are now with us. They are even political liabilities to the ANPP.”
He added that “those who left the ANPP for other parties especially Senator Usman Albishir and his followers when they come back to us, we will turn them back. ANPP will continue to rule the state beyond 2011 and even for another 20 years.”
On his part, Dr. Ahmed Lawal, the senator representing Yobe North said “it is a known fact that this zone is for ANPP and when the election comes, we will show them that it remains ANPP. We are supposed to be three from this zone that are in the National Assembly but the whirlwind of corruption has taken one of us away. We are going to do everything to ensure that the zone is won by the ANPP and that the number of votes are more than what the party got in 1999, 2003 and 2007.”
The senator also said “we will also ensure that the House of Representatives seat in the hands of PDP is taking back. We are going to do everything to make the impact of the party felt in every home.”
Despite the exit of Albishir, Saleh and Galadima, Sidi Karasuwa said that government, after discovering that it is going to be a battle to win back the state, got to work immediately and was able to impact on the lives of the people of the state which was seen in the massive turn-out of people at the rally.
Karasuwa who was a former commissioner for education said the present administration has done enough to improving the school system by providing infrastructure and learning materials, construction of boarding junior secondary schools in all the six local governments in the zone of Nguru, Bade, Karasuwa, Jakusko, Machina and Yusufari.
He further revealed that the government was able to provide township road in Gashua, construction of tarred road in Jajimaji-Karasuwa (18kms) and rehabilitation of Nguru-Gashua road and provision of tarred road from Nguru-Machina (57kms). Complete rehabilitation of Government Hospital, Gashua and provision of drugs and equipment. The award of contract for Gashua-Yusufari road (about 32kms). Nguru township road and drainage.
The former party chairman said the people of the area could not but show appreciation to the government and ANPP for these and the fact that uncountable numbers of water projects have been commissioned which have improved their lives and economic activities.
He said with people like Senator Ahmed Lawal, Engr. Baba Goni Machina, Hon. Baba Machinama, Hon. Adamu Dala Dogo and Alhaji Sani Inuwa Nguru . Yobe North would not queue behind any other party.
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