Triumph of Dark Horses

Adamu Ajuji Waziri

Against every expectation, candidates of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the just- concluded Gombe South and North Senatorial Districts election record a landslide win
By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Gombe
The race to fill the two vacant positions created by the death of two senators who represented Gombe South and North senatorial Districts, Senators Tawa Umbi Wada and Kawu Peto- Dukku was one that once again brought life and raised the political ambience of the state. Coming at a time the Nigerian political firmament is activity-filled following the 2011 general election that inches close, public interest and consciousness towards the by-elections grew a little higher than in previous times. Again, posters of those who had expressed readiness to try their luck in different elective offices at both state and national levels, strategically pasted within the metropolis, raised the decibel of excitement. And so, for the preceeding three weeks that climaxed with the conduct of the election on Saturday, August 21, 2010, Gombe was agog with over 17 political parties staging campaigns and rallies across the state.
To the opposition parties such as the Action Congress (AC), Labour Party (LP), All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), et cetera, hopes were alive that the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), would wake up to behold a different ball game where they would be floored. But that was not to be as the result of the election released the following day, Sunday, August 22, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, sent shivers down the spines of most people. Since the release of the result, The Source can reliably inform that a gale of cold silence has swept through the state. Though no one has officially protested, by way of litigation against the PDP which recorded a landslide win in the election, the state is, however, heavy with murmurings and rumours of many irregularities. As if to say “the rigging machine, they have done it again”, most people are still in shock.
Indeed, the cause of their surprise is not far-fetched. Feelers indicate that it emanated from the nature and public perception of the candidates fielded by the PDP in the elections who surprisingly won the elections. Some argue that any day, any time, the duo of Senator Adamu Ajuji Waziri, husband to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC's) chairman, Farida Waziri from Gombe South and Alhaji Saidu Ahmed Alkali who was until now, the Commissioner for Information in the State from Gombe North are dark horses who are not marketable to the electorate. The Source learnt that the PDP thus had to convince other aspirants such as the Deputy Governor, Dr. John Lazarus Yoriyo and the Commissioner for Agriculture, David Albashi who sources said were greater forces to reckon with from Gombe South than Waziri, to withdraw and wait for 2011. For Waziri, there is a game plan. This is supposedly a compromise. Much as The Source dug, all it could unearth was that the compromise is a proactive measure taken to forestall any external aggression that may crop up after the term of the present government. It is such that the favoured Waziri will reciprocate the gesture by prevailing on his wife to, perhaps, sheath the sword against any official who may fall short of the glory of EFCC after leaving office next year. Again, if the musings making the rounds are anything to go by, Waziri has also been promised the position of deputy governership candidate to Alhaji Jalo Ibrahim Waziri, incumbent Chairman of Gombe Local Government and Governor Goje’s son in-law who is believed in several quarters in the state to be the anointed candidate for the 2011 gubernatorial race.
The case of Alkali who clinched the Gombe North seat was no different. Sources said he is not known in Gombe political circles to have gathered much clout to secure a seat in the red chambers of the National Assembly.
Indeed, as predicted in a story titled ‘Filling the Vacuum” published recently by The Source, the not-too-known Commissioner for Information, now a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, heavily relied on external help to scale through. Just when these “mistakes” of the PDP were seen as a dais for other political parties to win the elections, the PDP did their ‘thing’. And both Waziri and Alkali have since been declared the respective winners of the Gombe South and North by-election by INEC.
The contest featured a total of 18 political parties. While Gombe South featured five political parties, the North recorded 13 parties. In Gombe South, AC had 44,405 votes, CPC 30, 164, LP 4,874, NDP 821 and PDP 167, 920 to emerge the winner. Also, in Gombe North, AC got 675, ACN 312, AD 288, ADC 484, ANPP 21, 203, CPC 17,341, DPA 562, LP 1,760, MDS 321, ND 796, PDP 138,628, PRP 487 and RPN 163. With a total of 138,628 votes, PDP took the day.
Meanwhile, like the February 6, 2010 Anambra guber election, the August 21 by-elections in Gombe– which also coincided with the Bauchi South Senatorial District election to fill the vacancy created by the departure of the present FCT Minister, Alhaji Bala Mohammed were seen by the people as a litmus test for the new INEC under Professor Attahiru Jega. After the 2007 general elections which many said were a sham, Nigerians have been very agitated and desirous of elections that reflect the wishes of the people. Investigations however revealed that the outcome of the elections meant that there is still need for improvement. The Source, which was at Gombe South’s local government areas of Biliri, Kattungo and Shongom, observed late arrival of voting materials to some polling units and consequently, voting started at about 11am in some stations as against the stipulated time of 8 am. With over a decade of unbroken democratic experiment in Nigeria , many thought that many Nigerians have become politically conscious to exercise their civic obligations, but people at the places monitored, especially in Shongom area, proved the contrary. Some voters were said to be financially induced by party agents to vote.
Turnout was also abysmally poor as some polling units with over 400 ballot papers hardly recorded 50 voters. Residents in the areas where voting took place commended the people who voted calmly and the INEC ad hoc staff consisting mainly members of the National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC), numbering over 3,000 who acted as Polling Clerks and Presiding Officers respectively, deployed to man over 1,544 polling units across the nine local government areas of the two senatorial districts. But this did not however stop the usual ballot heists which were reported “in Yiri in Katungo and Yuwur in Balanga local government areas where some thugs snatched ballot boxes and tried to disrupt the voting process”. This is according to the Alliance for Credible Elections and Association for Responsible Citizenship, two non-governmental organisations, NGOs that monitored the elections.
While the Resident Electoral Commission, REC, Godfery Miri Samson said at a press briefing on Friday, August 20,  that over 400 motorbikes were hired to reach some precincts especially in Nafada  area of Gombe North, corps members deployed to those uncommon and harsh terrains were reported stranded before and after the elections, making them vulnerable. Also, language barrier between the corps members and the electorate was a serious concern.
Irrespective of their controversial candidacies and party affiliations, the newly elected senators are expected by the people to help in enacting laws and execute projects that will impact positively on their lives. At the time of the report, no opposition candidate has indicated any willingness to challenge the results. This includes Alhaji Ahmed Abubakar of Labour Party, a retired Police Commissioner from Gombe North who told The Source that he does not have any intention of going to the Tribunal if it is set up, merely saying that he will re-strategise for future contests.