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Sequel to the presidential and national assembly elections which was swept by All Progressives Congress (APC), all eyes are now on Saturday’s governorship and house of assembly elections. Would there be a bandwagon effect in all the states election would hold or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) pull off stiff resistance to retain its hold? In this report, AKINJIDE AKINTOLA, POLITICAL EDITOR takes a look at the 16 flashpoints that may decide where the pendulum will swing.
Rivers State
With over 50 dead in the pre and post presidential election in the state, the state definitely qualifies to top others amongst the flashpoints as the APC squares up to the PDP in Saturday’s election. Already, the ruling APC had sounded the alarm that the rival PDP has marked down some of its leaders for elimination ahead of the polls.
The gladiators in the fray are the outgoing governor, RotimiAmaechi and NyesomWike, former Minister of state for education now governorship candidate of the PDP in the state. They used to be very chummy as Wike was once an aide of Amaechi who sponsored him to the federal for the ministerial appointment. Now the two are at war and only God knows what can happen on Saturday especially with what we witnessed during the campaign era. During the Presidential polls, soldiers prevented Amaechi from going round the state to monitor the election when he noticed some flaws. As the chief security officer of the state, that was humbling enough. With the loss of the presidential election by the PDP, they will want to clinch Rivers at all costs, so it will be a sort of miracle if the state is not turned into a theatre of war.
Lagos State
Another explosive state is Lagos, where Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is having the biggest battle of his life. The APC, having won the presidential election, will want to consolidate its hold on Lagos which is its traditional base since 1999. Of course, the PDP appears ready to give the APC a run for its money. It has deployed everything at its disposal to capture Lagos. In the last election, the PDP made an appreciable impact, destroying the seeming invincibility of the APC in Lagos. The margin is incredibly thin considering the 2011 elections. In Saturday’s election, it is planning to even do better in order to snatch the state from APC. This time around, it has a formidable candidate in Jimi Agbaje, a veteran and former member of Tinubu team.
The PDP is banking on the theme of change which is APC slogan, insisting that there must be change in Lagos after 16 years. They are insisting that Lagos must be freed from one man’s tight fisted rule as Tinubu has turned Lagos into his personal fiefdom. But it might have lost a bit of its steam by the victory of the APC in the presidential election which has given the progressives more confidence especially its foot soldiers.
It is obvious that the two groups will be matching themselves strength for strength on Saturday making it a tough duel.
Imo State
Imo is another state that promises a lot of action. Here, PDP candidate, EmekaIhedioha and current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives is making impressive showings to dislodge the incumbent APC governor, RochasOkorocha. In the last presidential election, the PDP captured two of the three senatorial seats and is planning to seal it up on Saturday with victory at the governorship election. It is not going to be an easy victory as Okorocha, whom the people had decided to give the red card will not want to give up easily as the incumbent. he would want to give his best seeing that defeat is knocking at the door.
But he may want to exploit the victory of his party at the presidential election as he has been mobilising massively ahead of the election. But he is meeting more than his match in Ihedioha who has the backing of the people. Indeed, there is a revolution going on in the state which appears to be sweeping Okorocha out of office. This will be another flashpoint on Saturday.
Benue State
There is growing fear that the fields of Benue will not be turned to slaughtering slabs in this election. The APC is trying to overrun the state which all along had been a PDP state. In the last election, the APC stole the show with even the governor, Gabriel Suswam loosing his senatorial election to his APC opponent, Barnabas Gemade, a former national chairman of the PDP who defected to APC when Suswam grabbed the ticket from him, an incumbent.. APC governorship candidate, Samuel Ortom a former minister of state for trade and investment also defected from PDP when Suswam imposed a candidate on the party. With the presidential which the APC won in the state, a lot of the PDP stakeholders have moved to the APC with the party becoming a shell of itself. But the PDP, with the power of incumbency both at the state and national level may want to pull some muscles. Benue with its history of violence also promises to be a flashpoint.
Niger State
The scenario here is similar to the Benue experience where the deputy governor of the state defected to the APC to become its governorship candidate. in the last election, the APC cleared the state, which is a PDP state. The Governor, BabangidaAliyu was humiliated as he lost his senatorial election to the APC. The situation might not be too different in Saturday’s election as the ruling party might want to save face by trying to put up some fight. if this happens and it is likely, then we may have a flashpoint in our hands here.
Jigawa State.
This is another similar scenario where the sitting PDP governor lost his senatorial election to the APC . In what appears a macabre dance, shortly after the presidential election which the APC won, the deputy governor of the state decamped to the APC. in an immediate retaliatory action, the PDP dismissed him from the party and with that development, anything might happen in the countdown to Saturday’s election. With Buhari in as President-elect, the mood in the north may have changed and the APC will likely have an upper hand. But will the incumbent PDP governor, fast talking SuleLamido fold his hands and allow the APC easy romp? That question will be answered on Saturday which makes the state another flashpoint.
Bauchi State
Being the home state of the incumbent national chairman of PDP, AdamuMuazu appears as another flashpoint. The scenario here too is like Jigawa as the APC cleared the state which is a PDP stronghold. The governor, Isa Yuguda also lost his senatorial election to the APC. The state might be another battleground come Saturday when it is remembered that it was here that the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan was attacked during the Presidential campaign.
Other states likely to experience some tough situations include Oyo, Ogun, AkwaIbom, Gombe, Ekiti, Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, Abia and Delta. In Oyo, incumbent APC governor Isiaka Ajimobi is hoping to make history as the first governor in the state to break the second term jinx while two former governor, 70-year old RashidiLadoja and 65-year old Adebayo Alao-Akala are hoping to unseat him. the state is set to explode.
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