2023: APC, PDP, NNPP battle for Jigawa votes

The much talked about 2023 general election is here.

It is evident that the Jigawa State citizens are going to choose between the presidential candidates of four political parties- the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP.

However, the contest will be among the three major political parties in the state- APC, PDP, and NNPP as all of them have numbers of supporters and have been going across the nooks and crannies of the state to win the hearts of the electorates.

Several factors may influence the voting pattern of the Jigawa State electorates, including the power of party incumbency, money politics, religion, health status, character, knowledge and integrity of each of the candidates.

APC- BOLA AHMAD TINUBU

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Incumbency factor is an added advantage to the ruling political party, APC, over the other political party candidates. This factor may influence the voting process in the coming presidential election. This is evident in almost all the elections in the state where most of the electorates are dancing to the tune of the party in power.

Therefore, what the APC administration has achieved in the state in the areas of agricultural transformation, road infrastructure, National Social Investment Programme, SIP, including, N-POWER, National Home-Grown School feeding program, grants for vulnerable groups, among others, have served as life-changing opportunities for the millions of people of the state and this will influence the APC’s victory.

At the same time, the ongoing dispute between the state Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, some senators and party’s bigwigs, especially those who lost the gubernatorial primary and the current hardship people are going through due to the issue of the new naira notes policy, may affect the chances of the ruling APC in the state.

Although the Governor has already taken a measure to end the internal wrangling, some remain silent and are not physically seen in all of the party’s campaigns.

PDP- ATIKU ABUBAKAR

For the opposition PDP, looking at the giant stride achieved by the former Governor of Jigawa state Dr. Sule Lamido during his tenure and the acceptability of its Gubernatorial candidate by the people of the state would be an added advantage.

Also, the issue of insecurity, economic hardship, and alleged failed promises by the APC administration may play a key role in adding more advantages to the PDP to win the presidential election in the state.

However, the lingering dispute between the former Jigawa state governor Sule Lamido and the PDP two-time gubernatorial candidate in the 2015 and 2019 elections, Malam Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, which resulted in the emergence of two factions and the defection of the other faction to the NNPP, may in one way or the other affect the chances of the party to win the election in the state.

Though there were so many attempts in the past by some stakeholders to reconcile the two factions, all the efforts remained futile.

NNPP- RABI’U MUSA KWANKWASO

The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, which recently appeared to be a third force in the country’s polity gained its popularity after the former Kano state Governor, Sen. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, along with other top politicians in the country joined the party.

Although the party appeared to be a new party, its acceptability, however, at the grassroot is throwing fear at the two major political parties in the state, APC and PDP. The fear heightened when the former chief of staff, Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, along with his followers, joined the party after parting ways with the PDP.

However, other factors may also influence the outcome of the presidential election in favour of the party, including the desire for change to give chances to other parties other than major political parties.

The party also ran into crisis over the choice of its gubernatorial candidate, forcing some of the party executives to join the ruling APC. This may affect the number of the party’s votes.

LP- PETER OBI

The Labor Party appears to have less or no relevance compared to the other three other parties in the state, especially with the recent decamping of its gubernatorial candidate, Muhammad Tsoho Garba, along with other candidates and executives of the party into the fold of the ruling APC.

Like any other presidential candidate in the country, Obi had also visited the state to canvas for the support of the electorates, but the campaign train is not moving into the other parts of the state, especially rural areas to win the hearts of the electorates.

Although Obi has support from the youth and some women, especially southerners living in the state who have been working to influence others in support of his presidential bid, one has hardly seen his poster or billboard in some local governments areas, apart from the state capital.