By Our Correspondents
Katsina Times
Katsina State has entered an unprecedented period of political tension following the announcement of candidates by the ruling APC party last week.
Anger, frustration, and harsh criticisms dominated political discussions throughout the week, leading many dissatisfied politicians to defect from the APC to opposition parties.
KATSINA TIMES conducted an extensive investigation to determine who benefited from the party tickets that were distributed.
Senatorial Tickets
Among the three senatorial seats in the state, sources confirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally requested that Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar'Adua be allowed to return for a second term.
Sources also told us that before this intervention, it was expected that Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda would allow Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal to present Abbas Umar Masanawa as the candidate.
According to our sources, the intention was to compensate Mangal and to draw him closer into the administration and to reward his loyalty to both the government and the APC during the last three years.
For the Funtua Senatorial District, Senator Muntari Dandutse retained his ticket despite criticisms over alleged neglect of several local governments under his constituency. Critics claim that since winning office, he has not visited areas such as Matazu, Musawa, Kankara, Faskari, Sabuwa, or Dandume for condolence visits or support activities.
A highly placed source informed us that some influential elders in the Funtua zone also appealed on his behalf.
The Senator representing Daura Zone, who is also the Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, has been in the Assembly since 2015 and became Speaker in 2023. He has consistently supported every major policy of the state government.
His family’s loyalty and political sacrifices reportedly earned him the ticket.
From our findings, none of those who secured APC senatorial tickets are considered direct political loyalists of Governor Radda.
House of Representatives Tickets
Three aspirants reportedly received automatic tickets after leaving the PDP and joining the APC. These include representatives from:
Mashi/Dutsi
Safana/Danmusa/Batsari
Bakori/Danja
One ticket reportedly went to the son Alhaji Dahiru Mangal as compensation for not getting the senatorial slot.
Another was given to a son of the Emir of Daura, while another reportedly went to a son of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
There was also controversy surrounding a female candidate, with claims that Hadiza Bala Usman personally appealed to the Governor on her behalf.
The representative from Dutsinma and Kurfi reportedly retained his ticket because of his strong grassroots influence.
Our investigation found that among the 15 House of Representatives candidates from Katsina, only one is widely regarded as a direct loyalist of Governor Radda — Aliyu Musawa, popularly known as “Dujiman Katsina.”
State Assembly Tickets
Our investigation further revealed that out of the 34 State Assembly candidates, only four are considered direct political allies of the Governor. These are the candidates from: Batagarawa, Charanchi
Funtua, Bindawa
Most of the remaining candidates are believed to have emerged through the influence of other political power blocs.
For instance, some candidates were allegedly supported by the Speaker of the Katsina State Assembly under an arrangement that they would support him in katsina state house of assembly once elected. These reportedly include candidates from Safana and Mai’adua.
There were also alleged political concessions involving influential political families in Katsina and Jibia, where Dahiru Mangal was said to have been favored.
Consensus or Selection?
According to our findings, genuine consensus only occurred in one area, while elections reportedly played little or no role elsewhere. In most cases, directives were simply issued announcing who had been chosen.
For example, during the Funtua Senatorial contest, stakeholders initially agreed to support Hamza Sule as their preferred candidate because, according to them, he valued people more than Dandutse. However, they were later summoned to the Government House, where Hamza Sule was persuaded to withdraw and instead accept a House of Representatives ticket, while Dandutse retained the senatorial slot.
For the Katsina Senatorial seat, sources claim that instructions were simply issued following a request by the President in support of Abdu Soja.
In Daura, some politicians openly protested under the leadership of former Katsina State Commissioner for Justice, Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq.
In Mani Local Government, the House of Representatives primary election was reportedly conducted twice. On both occasions, stakeholders allegedly selected Ahmed Sale Jino, but in the end, Jamila Abdu Mani was declared the winner.
In Bakori, popular musician Dauda Kahutu Rarara reportedly sponsored and purchased nomination forms for a candidate.
In Safana Local Government, Abdul Jalal Runka, the current member representing safanai n the State Assembly, was re-announced as candidate despite appeals from local elders and traditional rulers urging Governor Radda to replace him after three terms in office.
Our investigation found that apart from Funtua, neither consensus nor genuine elections appeared to determine candidates in most constituencies.
Members of the Reconciliation Committee
Some members of the reconciliation committee who spoke to us anonymously confirmed:
“We were directly instructed. Our role was simply to calm people down and communicate the final decisions that had already been made regarding who would contest in each area. That was all we were doing.”
Governor Radda’s Political Loyalists
Those most angered by the outcome are believed to be Governor Radda’s own political loyalists
They argue that they supported the Governor sincerely and expected him to reward their loyalty with political opportunities. Instead, they claim that nearly 90% of those given tickets were people who opposed him during the 2023 elections and who, according to them, are only aligned with him for political convenience.
Our newspapers spoke with many of them confidentially, and their frustration is said to be overwhelming.
“We carefully reviewed all those who received tickets one after another. Most of them only have transactional relationships with the Governor. This creates the impression that the Governor is gradually dismantling his own political structure by himself.”
Published by: Katsina Times Official Website.
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