Opposition’s Tough Task Of Upstaging APC In Borno

Can the opposition from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) cause an upset against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Borno State in the 2023 general elections?

That is the question on the lips of political pundits even though it would seem like the ruling party still had the odds in its favour.

Shortly after political parties rounded off their congresses and their candidates emerged, the political atmosphere in Borno became more intense as the three major parties soon got embroiled in a battle of wits. The leading candidates in the race are the incumbent Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of the APC; Alhaji Mohammed Ali Jajari of the PDP and Alhaji Umar Alkali (Nasco) of NNPP.

PDP fired the first salvo. The party’s governorship candidate, Mohammed Ali Jajeri accused the APC of incompetent leadership, saying that the civil servants are not well treated and that schools had no teachers. APC swiftly replied saying PDP is parading an ‘unknown governorship candidate’ in the person of Jajeri.

The ruling party was however forced to explain how it has fared with workers welfare and how it refused to sack some unqualified teachers but swapped them with personnel from other government agencies where their competences were required.

Before the exchange between APC and PDP died down, the NNPP, which is has assumed the third force in Borno, joined the fray. The sealing of NNPP campaign office, barely days before its commissioning by the leader of the party, had raised some political dust in the state.

The Borno State agency for urban planning had sealed the party  office because it violated the state’s building planning by siting a campaign office in a residential area. But this move did not go down well with NNPP leaders and supporters who felt that the APC government was intolerant of opposition.

For others, the state governments action smacked of a fear of NNPP’s rising profile.

But frayed nerves were calmed the moment the party’s campaign secretariat was unsealed on the order of the state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum who described the sealing of the secretariat as ill-timed.

Nevertheless, PDP publicity secretary of PDP in Borno Amos Adziba decried what he called the continuous harassment of opposition members in the state and warned the state government to desist from such.

Adziba said PDP members in Konduga local government area of the state were harassed and arrested by civilian JTF under the state government’s directives.

The PDP noted that the rate at which members of its party were being harassed was getting out of hand.

“APC should stop intimidating our members, we will no longer take it; enough is enough! They don’t need to attack us; they should fulfill what they promised us.

“Enough of this, we are not in a military era. What I am telling them is that God is not sleeping. When the time comes, the people will speak through their votes.

“We will not be intimidated or distracted, there will not be impunity, there will be zero tolerance to imposition of candidates,” he said.

Unseating Zulum might be a herculean task considering the incumbency factor and grassroot touch the governor has made to the downtrodden, especially those displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Another challenge for the opposition parties in wresting power from the APC is there lean financial muscle against the government in power, especially in a country where money plays a greater role in politics.

With the devastation done to the citizens by the Boko Haram terrorists,  in addition to thousands of the populace who are still depended on government for feeding and resettlement, the chances of the opposition parties turning the political tides in the state would be a task that requires hard work.

And with the popular saying that “one cannot bite the finger that feeds him”, it would be difficult for these citizens who are almost catered for by the government to cast their votes to another party.

Although the opposition parties are hoping to capitalise on some of the alleged APC unpopular policies they claimed to have identified to change the political narrative in Borno, the exodus of some bigwigs to the two opposition parties could be another game changer if well harnessed.

Aside the governorship contest, the opposition equally have to fight hard to win seats in the National and House of Assembly elections.

This is because the APC for long had held grip of the political structures of the governorship and Assemblies elections for over the past 18 years in the state.

But expressing optimism of a fair outing in the 2023 elections by all its candidates, the PDP state chairman, Alhaji Zanna Gaddama, said most of the party’s candidates in the upcoming general elections are going to win because they are politicians of high integrity who are very popular with the people.

Gaddama said he is sure that the good people of Borno will give them their mandate come 2023 general elections, adding that the candidates have the capacity and support from the grassroots.

“ Two of our senatorial candidates for the Borno North and Borno South have contested election in 2019 and even at that time when the ballots are not functioning, results were being written, ballot stuffing was the order of the day, with snatching of ballot box, and use of security apparatus, even at that time, the two of them performed wonderfully well.

“ And everyone on the street would tell you that they won the election but were robbed. And today, they are back on the ballot and we are sure the people would give them their mandate. In the Governorship aspect, we have a young man who has come out and we are mobilising to ensure that he comes out victorious,” the party chairman said.

Throwing light on the expectation of political situation in Borno and the battle between the ruling APC, the PDP and the NNPP ahead of the 2023 elections, an elder statesman and political analyst, Alhaji Ahmed Ashemi, said there is bound to be grumbling and complaints in any political party that held power for long.

Ashemi noted that it is natural for some APC members to feel marginalised whether real or imagined as it is not easy to satisfy everyone.

The elder statesman said as much as some of those complaining are politicians, he hoped that Governor Zulum would listen to their complaints and go all out to pacify every group and vital stakeholders who feel marginalised.

He said in this election year there is the need for Zulum to go out of his way to go and meet these people.

Ashemi said the PDP is not structured in a way to take advantage of the disenchantment in APC ahead of 2023.

For him, PDP, over the years, lost most of its critical stakeholders to other parties, adding that others who could not move to the other parties have remained outside aloof.

“So under these circumstances, it would be very difficult for the PDP to make any impact. Secondly, according to my own personal observation and opinion, it is as if at the top, the presidential candidate and the top hierarchy of the party themselves have thrown in the towel in Borno State.

“And that is how it seems, they have already given up on PDP in Borno because, if they have not, the kind of lukewarm attitude that is being displayed by the leadership of the party is not supposed to be.

“And there are also rumours which also sometimes if you look deeply have some justification that some leaders of the PDP itself are in PDP and also working for the ruling party. Therefore, these have really affected their cohesion and resolve to work and make any impact,” he said.

He also had a perspectives on the NNPP and other political parties. He said “even if they have popular support, they came in too late in the day to make any reasonable impact.”

He added, “So in my opinion, Zulum is still the man to beat. And more so, if Zulum realises, appreciates some of the complaints, disgruntlement and disenchantment among the political class of the APC, if he can go out of his way to identify some of this people and deal with them in a compromising way, I’m sure it is him to beat. Then, it will be difficult to beat APC in Borno state,” he said.