Badaru
Tinubu: Badaru kept his promise
By Lawal Jet Kaugama
The governor of Jigawa state, Mohammad Badaru, has kept the promise he had made to the presidential candidate of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In 2023 general election which has recorded the highest number of offsets since 1999, Jigawa was able to hold its ground and delivered an incontestable victory to Tinubu. This is a general election where Tinubu got unexpected displacement even in his stronghold by the Labour Party’s (LP) Peter Obi. If APC would lose Lagos, then Tinubu might be up for an uphill task.
In most of the ‘swing states’, Tinubu lost to one opposition party or the other.
In Kano, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) won; Kaduna was taken by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Also, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was conquered by Labour Party’s Peter Obi. But Gov Badaru was able to deliver Jigawa to Tinubu as promised.
Not only that, during the trying moments of the 2023 general election, Badaru did not leave Jagaba for a second. Like a true friend, he was always seen in the company of the president-elect. During the time Dino Melaye, led by ex-President Olusegun Obasango, were trying to derail the popular transition by the their infamous calls for the cancellation of one of the most peaceful and credible elections Nigeria has ever seen, Badaru was with him. The collation of results was completed, the results were announced and Tinubu was declared winner by the Chief Returning Officer of the 2023 general election, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Men of honesty and moral integrity are known by their deeds and utterances; they keep promises and do not betray trusts. Going by the just concluded general election, and the voting patterns that were unpredictable, and victories and losses coming from from unlikely places, Badaru stood on his ground and delivered Jigawa to Tinubu.
It is interesting to know that the National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, lost in his Nasarawa West senatorial zone to the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) Hon. Ahmed Wadada. In the overall result in the state, Adamu was unable to deliver Nasarawa to Tinubu. He lost the state to the Labour Party’s Peter Obi. Also Kaduna state governor, Nasiru El-Rufai could not hold the state for APC.
In President Muhammadu Buhari’s Katsina state, Gov Aminu Bello Masari lost to the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Umar Ganduje of Kano state could not stop Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in Kano.
Indeed, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has got a true friend in Badaru, a trustworthy friend in the Northwest of Nigeria.
That Badaru kept his promise was not surprising. His antecedents in governance is a testament to his personal integrity. Jigawa people will always boast of Badaru as a public officeholder who truly leads an exemplary life both in office and private life.
These are leadership qualities that endear him to the people of Jigawa. This is the reason why Jigawa voters trusted him and voted along the course he charted for them. This is the reason why the people, with unanimous voice, voted for the presidential candidate he chose for them.
Badaru’s love for his people is incontestable; it clearly shows in this period of new naira notes crunch. While other governors kept quiet, he publicly decried the scarcity of the new notes in Jigawa state and charged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to act fast to ease the pains of Jigawa people and Nigerians as a whole. His undying love for the downtrodden is one of the key aspects of his government that has endeared him to his people, so that even after enjoying almost eight years as governor of Jigawa state, the people of the state still cherish and respect him.
Why not? Badaru who believes in equal rights and justice in the society has achieved a minimum of one project in every community in his state, thus creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness among his people.
For whom much is given, much is expected, therefore, Jigawa people are reciprocating Badaru’s kind gesture by wholeheartedly embracing the All Progressives Party (APC) and all its candidates in the ongoing general election.
The rapport and good will Badaru enjoys among his people makes it possible for him to go round the state asking people to vote for APC again. And what do you expect? The responses were total and overwhelming.
Badaru’s exemplary and all-inclusive leadership in Jigawa state will continue to sell all the APC candidates in the 2023 general election, and the journey has begun with the APC victory in the presidential poll that produced President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Kaugama, a commentator on national issues, writes from Dutse, Jigawa