2023 Election: Sokoto APC Yet To Begin Campaign.

Less than two months to the governorship election and at a time when political activities in several states across the country are in overdrive, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Sokoto State is yet to begin its campaign.

Newsmen monitoring political activities in the seat of the caliphate reports that APC is yet to raise its campaign council or announce campaign itinerary to unveil its manifesto to the people of the state.

Findings showed that this may not be unconnected to the gale of defections that have hit the party, though defections are not peculiar to APC, as the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have also had its own share.

An APC supporter warned that if nothing was done urgently, the party was on the path of defeat in the upcoming general election. Some political analysts are of the opinion that apart from the fact that the state APC may be facing financial constraints, the crisis that trailed the party’s governorship primary is still hurting the party.

Recall that in the build up to the party’s governorship primary, some aspirants who had suspected that the leader of the party in the state, Senator Aliyu Magartakada Wamakko, was backing Ahmad Aliyu, the party’s governorship candidate in 2019 election, formed alliance to stop the move.

At the primary, Wamakko, being in control of the party’s structure in the state, ensured the emergence of Aliyu, as he defeated the other contestants known as G-5. Even though it was expected that the party’s leadership would set up reconciliatory committee to pacify the G-5, their grievances were ignored.

The G-5 comprises political heavyweights including former Minister of Transportation, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman; immediate past Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan, Faruk Malami Yabo; member representing Illella/Gwadabawa federal constituency, Dr Balarabe Salame; Sen Abubakar Gada; and Abubakar A Gumbi. The defection of members of the G-5 to PDP have weakened the opposition APC in the state, as they have all resolved to see the party lose the upcoming elections.

Though some PDP stalwarts like former Commissioner for Security and Career Studies, Col Garba Moyi (rtd); former Special Adviser to Governor Tambuwal, Ibrahim Gidado; and Chairman Tangaza Local Government, Isah Salihu, with 8 councilors defected from PDP to APC, they did not have the kind of political influence of the G-5.