By: Ali Musa Biu
Facts are beggining to emerge ahead of the formal presentation of a running mate by the APC Governorship candidate in Borno State, Professor Babagana Zullum, on the reasons he settled for Umar Usman Kadafur, ahead of the incumbent Usman Mamman Durkwa.
The caucus of the party after a cafeful review of events and a through appraisal of the contenders at a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday and Thursday agreed that Kadafur is an easier sale and more likely to serve as the bridge that will reconnect the people of Biu emirate with the government.
A Senator who attended the Borno caucus meeting of the APC in Abuja last told us on conditions of anonymity, that, Kadafur was unanimously agreed upon for several reasons, including his youthfulness and level headedness.
He said the caucus agreed that there is the need to pacify the people of Biu, whose son, Zanna Umar Mustapha died in suspicious circumstances while serving as the deputy governor, but instead of picking his replacement from his immediate constituency Usman Durkwa from Hawul Local Government was picked.
They noted that although the decision to pick Durkwa at that time did not go down well with most party men and women, the people of Biu remained calm and supportive of the Government.
According to him most stakeholders at the meeting were not comfortable with Usman Mamman Durkwa because of his initial roles in trying to foist his own brother as the candidate, but backed out only when it became obvious that Idris Mamman Durkwa, his own brother was going to loose out.
Even those who rooted for Usman Durkwa after the death of Zanna Umar Musrapha were against him in the meeting, for what they termed as his often embarrassing outings, being unable to make public speeches in English.
Usman Durkwa’s greatest undoing according to some of them was his failure to attract goodwill to the government by indiscriminately arresting and detaining people from his Local Government who hold contrary views over all issues.
They further argued that as it is, Durkwa cannot comfortably go to his constituency and campaign for the APC, as his own people have declared him a persona non grata, and have pulled down all his billboards .
On the other hand according to our source, Umar Kadafur has discharged himself creditability by bringing developments to Biu, where he is serving as Council Chairman.
Kadafur is loved by the people, especially the youths, who hail him wherever he goes across all four Local Governments that make up Biu emirate.
Kadafur is also a darling of mist political leaders as well as the traditional institution where his father held the title of the Kadafur of Biu.
Our correspondent further reports that Professor Zullum is set to unveil Kadafur as his running mate when the entire caucus returns to Maiduguri on Friday, even as the incumbent Deputy Governor, for whom nobody seems to have any sympathy for has been making frantic efforts, by taking out advertorials in newspapers depicting him as the preferred candidate for the running mate.
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