2023: Why Katsina APC Must Learn from Osun Experience
By Lawal Sa’idu Funtua
HOTPEN – The Osun State gubernatorial election has come and gone with the PDP’S Senator Ademola Adeleke declared the winner. Adeleke convincingly floors the incumbent governor of the state, Oyetola of the APC. But to keen political observers the defeat of Oyetola did not come as a surprise. For the past three or so years political events in the state and the ruling APC have pointed to the dangers ahead. Arrogance and pride closed the eyes of the party and it’s leaders from envisaging the doomsday.
Oyetola was brought to power by the help of the political sagacity of former governor of the state Rauf Aregbesola. But on assumption of office Oyetole like the proverbial Frog who after being provided with food challenge his god to a fight dares Aregbesola by working against anything he stood for.
The leaders of the party both locally and nationally ignore the unfolding negative scenerio. With the way governors are been worshipped like gods some party elders in Osun shamelessly sided with Oyetola. Nobody dared to tell him the bitter truth. The consequences is now glaring for them to see.
In Katsina, the just concluded primary election of APC according to political pundits was poorly executed and managed. The party’s conduct in the aftermath of the election did not help either. The conduct and utterances of the winner of the election, Dr. Dikko Umar Radda made matters worse.
Love him or hate him, the defeated gubernatorial aspirant, Dr. Mustapha Inuwa is a leader, a campaign and election organizer. We severally saw his footprints of effective election management. With his utterances just after the election one does not need a soothsayer to say the man was not happy.
He had even made open declaration that he will commit anti-party in the coming 2023 general election. And I strongly believe that there are no serious efforts to assuage his anger. I could vividly recalled a press conference where the guber aspirant openly said “ni ba zan Yi wahalar talla ba domain ni ba Turmi bane”. This kind of utterances offend the feelings of the aggrieved aspirant and his supporters.
The gubernatorial candidate’s supporters did not even spare one of their leaders Alhaji Dahiru Mangal. Soon after the election, they took to social media platforms calling him unprintable names. Sources close to him disclosed that the APC strong pillar was not happy with the treatment he received before, during, and after the election. No matter what your feelings are, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal remained a strong force in ensuring Katsina APC’s success come 2023.
To add salt to injury, speaking at a gathering in Malumfashi, the state deputy chairman of the party issued all sorts of threats to the former SGS, his supporters, and all aggrieved aspirants.
Some members of the national assembly left the party due to a poorly managed primary election. Some of the aggrieved members have jumped ship while others maintained passive resistance waiting for the right time to strike.
The earlier the party realized that it cannot go to political war with a divided house the better.
From the building political scenario in Katsina politics, it is only God that will save the party from the Osun experience.
Lawal Saidu, a Veteran Journalist writing from Katsina
