Francis Sardauna in Katsina
Nine governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State are jostling for the party’s ticket in order to take over from Governor Aminu Bello Masari in 2023.
Investigations by THISDAY on Thursday, revealed that the nine guber aspirants were able to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms and meet the deadline for the submission of the completed forms.
Each of the aspirants is waiting for Masari’s blessings, but the governor, who is a political father to many of the contenders within the party, is keeping his card close to his chest, apparently causing discomfort among the aspirants.
Those who submitted their forms and are advancing reasons they should be given the opportunity to govern the state are the Deputy Governor of the state, Mannir Yakubu; former Secretary to the State Government, Mustapha Muhammed Inuwa; former Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Faruk Lawal Jobe; and former Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa.
Others are the former Managing Director, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), Abbas Umar Masanawa; former Director-General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Umar Dikko Radda; former Chief Personal Security Officer (CPSO) to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abdulkarim Dauda Daura; Senator Abubakar Sadiq Yar’Adua and Umar Abdullahi Tauri Tata.
Consequently, the nine APC aspirants will slug it out at the party’s governorship primary election slated for May 26 if the newly amended timetable of the party is realistic.
Although, where the pendulum of victory will swing is a question of time but from all indications, the contest for the soul of Katsina State will be between the APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as there is no third force in the state yet.
