By Abiola Olawale
Tensions are mounting in Jigawa State as two distinct political factions have started to emerge among the supporters of the Jigawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was gathered that the atmosphere in the state is charged with political uncertainty, as members align themselves with differing viewpoints, creating a palpable divide within the party.
This is coming amid reports of an acrimonious relationship between Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State and his immediate predecessor and incumbent Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar.
The New Diplomat reports that the purported acrimonious relationship between Namadi and Badaru has been generating a flurry of debates among supporters and political commentators in Jigawa.
It was gathered that the tension-soaked relationship between the duo started worsening over the choice of the House of Assembly Speaker.
The former governor was said to have supported Idris Garba from Jahun State Constituency as Speaker of the 8th House of Assembly, Jigawa state.
According to reports, Badaru was said to have told Namadi about his intention and told him to support the re-election of Garba as the Speaker.
However, the governor ignored the instructions of his predecessor and backed Aliyu Dangyatin, a Quantity Surveyor from Miga State Constituency who went on to emerge as the Speaker. This was said to have begun the frosty relationship between the duo.
Following that, the camps of the two heavyweights began to throw bants at each other and soon escalated into a bigger political confrontation.
An attempt was made to impeach Dangyatin in April, a development which was said to have been frowned on by Namadi.
The unsuccessful impeachment of the speaker was attempted when he was on the governor’s entourage to Saudi Arabia to attend an investment summit. Following the development, the Speaker reportedly took action against four former local government chairmen linked to the ‘Badaru Boys’ by suspending them for financial misappropriation.
A committee was formed to investigate the allegations, and they were only reinstated shortly before their tenure ended in June.
Also, the Badaru camp felt betrayed when the governor purportedly took full control over nominations for local government elections, which were held on October 5, excluding the minister from choosing candidates for the LGA chairmanship seats.
The minister’s camp felt that it was Badaru that brought the governor into politics, and as such, they felt betrayed that he refused to accord the minister the requisite due respect.
Thus, since the council election and inauguration of the LGA officials, the two camps have been throwing verbal tantrums at each other.
Speaking on the development, Namadi, who just returned to the state from his three-week vacation in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, has expressed concern over what he called alleged differences among some APC top shots, saying there was no rift in the party.
He confirmed that in his absence, certain developments occurred, which he found concerning, stressing that some individuals are attempting to sow discord among party adherents.
His words: “However, during my absence, certain things happened that I didn’t like as a person. For instance, in APC, we have one party in Jigawa State, and I am committed to maintaining that unity. As leaders, we must remain focused and not allow ourselves to be distracted.
“We have a mandate, and we need to continue executing that mandate. Nothing should derail us from the mission given to us by the people of Jigawa.
“Not only that but as a people, we also need to exercise patience with ourselves. There are always groups of people who don’t want things to go well. Whenever progress is being made in ways they don’t like, they try to create confusion and instability. We must not allow such people to succeed.”
