The power tussle and show of strength between acclaimed godfather of Kebbi State, former governor Adamu Aliero and his erstwhile political godson governor Saidu Nasamu Dakingari took another dramatic turn on Saturday when the CPC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari defeated President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP. Here in Kebbi, the victory of the CPC over PDP has a local dimension to it because of the fierce political rivalry between Aliero and Dakingari.
Following the oiutcome of last Saturday’s polls, some overzealous youths were heard chanting: CPC and PDP 1-1. The message implied that the CPC had recovered from the defeat it suffered during the National Assembly election the previous week. Further statements suggested that the CPC is definite about its chances of defeating the PDP in next week’s governorship election.
But political observers argue that the victory of General Muhammadu Buhari in Kebbi was a victory for all and not CPC alone because most PDP supporters also voted for Buhari against the wishes of their party. Some people also believe that Buhari does not need any Aliero to win the election because he is popular and accepted across party lines in the North.
Kebbi State CPC chairman, Alhaji Suleiman Nasiha, told Daily Trust that this victory is indicative of the will of the people and popularity of the CPC. “The result shows that CPC is on ground and it reflects the will of the people, unlike last week where the PDP led government used thugs, INEC and the security agencies to muscle their way through. We will defeat them next week in the governorship election”, he said.
But in a counter reaction, the state PDP chairman Alhaji Mansur Shehu said it was the activities of some Islamic clerics that led to Buhari’s victory. “The truth is that most of the people that voted for Buhari are PDP members. They believed what some Islamic clerics told them…but we thank God that we still got our 25 percent. We are for a united Nigeria. If you