As the electorate in Adamawa State go to the polls next Saturday to elect a governor and their Bayelsa counterparts follow in a fortnight, irrespective of yesterday's Supreme Court judgment invalidating the extension of the tenure of five governors, including Murtala Nyako, the recent issues in the polity, particularly the spate of insecurity as a result of the Boko Haram menace and the protest arising from the removal of subsidy on petrol, as well as the festering internal wrangling in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa, are likely to impact on the outcome, if the elections are devoid of the usual rigging and other electoral malpractices.IT is the wish of the Nigerian electorate that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declare the authentic winner of every election, much as they have become more determined to defend their votes and ensure they votes count.Smarting from the 'successes' of last year's April general elections, and the last governorship polls in Kogi State, INEC is set to conduct the governorship elections in Adamawa State next Saturday, and Bayelsa a week after.The Adamawa polls was earlier slated for January14, then shifted to January 21 and finally to February 4.Coming shortly after the strike/protest that followed the removal of petrol subsidy by the Peoples Democratic Party-led (PDP) federal government, which led to spike in prices of virtually all items and services, coupled with the spate of insecurity in the country under the PDP leadership and the intra-party crisis trailing its primary election in Bayelsa, these elections would be litmus test for PDP.Though five parties and candidates are contesting the Adamawa election, but PDP's incumbent Governor Murtala Nyako; former military governor of Lagos State and immediate past Nigerian ambassador to South Africa, Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC); and Mr. Markus Gundiri of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) are the frontrunners.NyakoGOVERNOR Nyako, now out of office for the next one week or even beyond, depending on the outcome of Saturday's election, in his campaigns, harped on economic development, job creation, skills acquisition and empowerment of the citizenry.With incumbency being a factor in Nigerian politics, and pointing at his 'achievements,' such as the establishment of the Special Assistants Project (SAS) Local Apprenticeship Scheme (LAS) and Technical Skills Acquisition centres, as well as milestones in works, roads and infrastructure.The governor is hoping to secure a second term, more so as the intra-party wrangling in the state appears to have abated, especially his reconciliation with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, which could play a key role.He argued that when his administration came on board, infrastructure in the state was at very deplorable stages, with roads undeveloped, and in most cases were death traps, and virtually all parts of the state suffering lack of basic facilities and amenities, like power supply, drainages and transportation.Nyako pointed to the Gombi-Ganda, Pella-Mayo Nguli and Kiri-Shelleng roads and bridges on Fufore road.He equally boasted of upgrading Yola to a befitting state capital with township roads and constructing two kilometres of roads in each council headquarters.The governor also listed housing projects, including government lodges in each council and private sector-driven housing estates.In the area of education, he pointed at rehabilitation of dilapidated structures and enhancement of quality of products and teachers, among others.Nyako contended that new water schemes had been established and township and council water treatment plants being upgraded.Nyako has gradually transformed himself politically and endeared himself to the people of the state, though he has also come under heavy criticisms from the opposition.As the election approached, the governor set up women and youth groups, who engaged in house-to-house campaigns.The Mayo-Belwai-born retired naval chief has successfully learned the ropes and intrigues of politicking and his humility and patience in listening to divergent view has become an asset.If events in the past few years, where he had deployed his political savvy to his advantage, are anything to go by, then Nyako remains the man to beat in the election.MarwaMARWA'S message in his campaigns, which kicked off on Tuesday, December 6, last year, is Chanji Yazo, meaning change has come in Hausa language.The Marwa hurricane has really changed the Adamawa politics and its governorship election next Saturday.Riding on the success of CPC in parts of the north in the last election, his rising profile cannot only be discountenanced by any politician to his peril.For most people in Adamawa, the real battle is between Nyako and Marwa. The latter has always accused the former of deliberately under-developing the state.The Michika-born retired army general, a former member of the ruling PDP, had on several occasions, as with most politicians, boasted that CPC would wrestle power from PDP and Nyako.The manner he left PDP or was sidelined in the party before joining CPC makes the election all the more interesting, and now the battle line has been drawn.His entry into the race has upped the ante and giving the incumbent a run for his money. His teeming supporters flaunt his credentials, referring anyone that cares to his achievements as military administrator of Lagos and Borno states.The former Nigeria's High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to the Kingdom of Lesotho and Switzerland, said he was on a mission to save the people of Adamawa from Nyako and PDP.He enumerated the core values of his party to include free and qualitative education and healthcare for all citizens, security of the state and citizens, state power generation and improved agricultural production through intensified irrigation, animal husbandry and potable water.Since he commenced campaigns, scores of PDP, Labour Party (LP) and the National Transformation Party (NTP) members have defected to CPC, especially in Shelleng, Demsa, Guyuk, Numan and Lamorde councils.But there are fears, particularly among Christian voters, that Marwa might impose the Islamic legal system, Sharia, in the state if elected governor.To that, he responded: 'By my military training, I am not only a detribalised Nigerian, it is also unthinkable that anything that has to do with religious sentiments or favoritism should be ascribed to me.'GundiriON his part, the ACN candidate, Gundiri, exudes confidence in winning the race, being a Christian candidate, with Nyako and Marwa struggling to share the Muslim voters, assuming the electorate are split along religious lines, coupled with his programmes, which many see as capable of changing the face of Adamawa, if elected.Gundiri, a water engineer and former director of Dams at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, among others, promised to pay the N20, 000 as minimum wages to workers and embark on training and retraining of civil servants at home and abroad, if he wins the race to Government House.The ACN candidate, is speculated to have the backing of former two-time governor of the state, Mr. Boni Haruna, from the same Michika as Marwa.Although relatively unknown in the politics of the state before last year's elections, unlike his two main opponents, Gundiri's profile since emerging as ACN candidate has been on the upward swing, more so with the party's equally rising profile in the country, coming next to PDP from the last elections.From what many would consider a mere political neophyte, the CAN candidate has 'overnight' metamorphosed into a force to reckon with in Adamawa politics to a point that observers say he is the man for tomorrow.His candidature has actually changed the equation and calculation of the other two candidates, more so as his efforts appeared to have earned the ACN two seats in the House of Representatives and six in the state House of Assembly.At every fora and campaign tour, which was flagged off in December last year, Gundiri never failed to stress his resolve to improve on all sectors of the state, and his message seems to has been well received across the state.But with little known of him and ACN in the state prior to the last April elections, many see him more of having a bright future than now.But Gundiri's supporters feel if he could break into the ranks of prominent politicians in such a short time of politicking, he could as well gone on to clinch the crown.In Adamawa, with or without yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on the case of the tenure elongation of some state governors, including Nyako, next Saturday's governorship election is going to among Nyako of PDP, Marwa of CPC and ACN's Gundiri.
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