By Lawan A. Kazaure
The aftermath of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Primary Elections in Jigawa State has left many questions unanswered. The manner at which the Chairman of the ADC Electoral Committee DIG Mohammed Ahmed Zaki (RTD) announced the most intimidating Party primary elections results in the history of Jigawa State has become too embarrassing, horrible and terrifying.
Historically Jigawa State has been known to be the most disciplined environment as far as political vandalism and hooliganism is concerned. Secondly, the intense volatility and the hostility generated at the Venue under which the election results were announced left many questions unanswered as it was alleged, the collation centre prior to its invasion by the hired miscreants was ostensibly guarded by members of the Nigerian Police Force. However, the absence of re-enforcement of security and the subsequent and deliberate endangerment of the Deputy Inspector General of Police’s life at the hands of miscreants was to say the least an affront to the entire Nigeria Police community. This act of negligence must not be allowed to go scout-free without investigation by the Force Headquarters.
The video which went viral is shocking and embarrassing for any person to have watched the DIG shivering and helplessly terrorised and dehumanised at the expense of his own life, forcing him to violate and truncate the laws and the guidelines governing the conduct of the Party Primary Elections.
Visibly, the DIG was caged under a sorrowful mode while announcing the Jigawa State gubernatorial election result, having been surrounded by hooligans armed with all manner of dangerous weapons and raining vulgar abuses on his personage, threatening to kill and ransack the Collation Center shall he refuse to dance to their instructions. What a state of nature was Dutse the capital of Jigawa State transformed into on that unaspicious date of 26th of May 2026!
Observers could vividly recall that the collation of Primary Elections results were earlier suspended as a result of flagrant irregularities openly associated with its conduct, has further attracted the attention of National Dailies castigating and exposing the mode at which it was shabbily done in violation and disregard of Section 2:3 of the Guidelines on the eligibility to vote. Voting according to the procedure was conspicuously truncated and even where at an instance queuing were noticed, it was just a mere symbolism to cover the misdeeds as the eligibility for members to vote was flagrantly and violently abused.
It is pertinent to note that, the duty of the Nigerian Police to provide security and ensure the protection of lives and property of Nigerians at all times is sacrosanct and considered to be too important to be undermined and as such, it is too important note that, the perpetrators of this deadly act to a personality once in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Police Force, who meritoriously reached to the most prestigious position of a Deputy Inspector General of Police, (DIG) is indeed condemnable to say the least!
Allowing this act of indiscipline to go scot free by the Force Headquarters is a direct signal to others to compromise critical assignments of this nature should there be a call for any national duty in the future.
The Reports of the Electoral Committee as well as that of the Appeal Committee recommendations shall be made the basis to guide the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Party by taking a decisive action that could punish any candidate found to have involved himself in this dastardly act directly or through proxy agents. It is only through a decisive sanctioning that Members of the Party would be guided to respect the Party Constitution, Manifesto and Guidelines.
Consequently, anybody found to be at variance with the Democratic principles and the Party Rules as enshrined in the Constitution and Guidelines of the Party should not be spared to pollute other mindsets! It is important to note the essence of inculcating discipline amongst the generality of party stalwarts must never be taken for granted. Brazen acts of criminality like the hiring of thugs to truncate an electoral due process or its integrity with the sole aim of actualizing ambition by hook or crook must be regarded as a shire display of undemocratic, despotic and dictatorial tendencies and uncontrolled desperation to govern at all costs! Certainly such a person or persons are not the materials our great Party intends to present to the Nigerian electorate for the forthcoming historic 2027 General Elections!
It is worth recalling the great zeal upon which the party was galvanised and excited through the mobilization of people from different parts of the State by the personal efforts and financial commitments made by Hon Bashir Adamu Kazaure and the belief and hope upon which, people accepted to give their unflinching support to the victory of the party come 2027. This overwhelming public support should never be allowed to derail because of one self-centred ambition, or that, of a new found associate whose ritual practice as a gubernatorial aspirant of many different political parties in the past was, using his ambition or aspirations as a vehicle to source contributions from friends and associates in order to bank roll him to another round of four years as his ritual practice, winning the election or losing it notwithstanding!
It is highly regrettable to observe that the aftermath of the so-called primary party elections conducted between the 25th to 28th May 2026 left Party stalwarts highly polarised and thrown into anxiety, and by extension the National Leadership of our Party that coined its name as an African Democratic Congress was ridiculed! Ideally our great Party ought to set the pace and be a mirror upon which other parties could follow!
Currently, there is a serious apprehension and fear too strong to discard from the concerned and committed party faithfuls, facing the uneasiness and herculean political task of dismantling the APC government in Jigawa State come May, 2027 with Sen Sabo Nakudu as the likely ADC preferred Gubernatorial Candidate. Jubilations were said to have been noticed all over the State with the release of the controversial outcome of the ADC gubernatorial primary results amongst the APC stalwarts! Prior to the conduct of the now disputed gubernatorial Primary Election, the APC and its Government in the State were thrown into a state of confusion as per the initial political forecast and the anticipation of Hon. Bashir Adamu’s victory at the Party Primary polls.
Consequently, as the ADC State Chapter is battling with its self inflicted double calamity that have consumed it as a result of the forced declaration, the APC government as well as its members on the other hand were taken aback on the jubilations about their uncertain hope, now leveraging on their incumbency factor for their electoral chances, miraculously further boosted or propelled by the uncomplementary utterances made by Sen. Sabo Nakudu, unwittingly portraying himself as a selfish centered personality unworthy of public trust, went viral and was viewed as condemnable from across the State.
Therefore in conclusion, it is highly laughable for an Aspirant looking for the highest Political Office of a State to have addressed his supporters by telling them that, in the event the general election did not favor him or his party as the case may be, he would emulate the famous “Mr. Andrew Phenomena” by taking his bag and checking out of Jigawa State at its critical hour of need in particular and Nigeria in general and therefore, could not stay and salvage the State and the Nation together respectively
Lawan A. Kazaure, Former Sole Administrator Kazaure LG
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