By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
  • Home
  • International
    InternationalShow More
    United Nations
    4th International Conference On Financing For Development Delivers Renewed Hope And Action For Sustainable Development
    1 day ago
    The African Development Bank and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) scale up drive for sustainable urbanization in Africa
    AfDB, UN-Habitat Scale Up Drive For Sustainable Urbanisation In Africa
    2 days ago
    UN
    North Africa: Green Climate Fund Approves Record $300m For FAO-designed Projects In Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, The Sahel
    3 days ago
    UNICEF
    How Wars Across Middle East, North Africa Affecting Children – UNICEF
    3 days ago
    UNDP
    UN Development Programme Welcomes Historic Deal On Sustainable Development Even Amidst Global Turmoil
    4 days ago
  • Africa
    Africa
    Show More
    Top News
    Tunisian President Saied Under Pressure To Resign After ‘Fiasco’ Poll
    3 years ago
    United Nations Experts Charge President Of Zimbabwe To Reject Bill Restricting Civic Space
    2 years ago
    Senegal: Amnesty International Worries Over Deadly Crackdown On Protesters
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Ooni’s Wife, Olori Temitope Enitan-Ogunwusi Takes Ile Ife Royalty To ADWIN Launch In Cote d’Ivoire
    3 weeks ago
    Independent UN Body Finds Systemic Racism Against Africans And People Of African Descent
    3 weeks ago
    Public Exit: Why South Africa Businesses Are Moving To Private Cloud
    4 weeks ago
    Cameroon Tops List Of World’s Most Neglected Displacement Crises
    1 month ago
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
    Politics
    Show More
    Top News
    Nobody Can Thwart The Will Of Osun People, Adeleke Insists He Won Osun Election
    2 years ago
    House of Reps Member-Elect Ekene Adams Dedicates Certificate of Return To Soname
    2 years ago
    Inauguration: Bash Ali Fans Club Felicitates With President Tinubu
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Lagos LG Poll: Tunde Disco/Ganiyu Obasa Intensify Campaign In Agege
    1 week ago
    PHOTOS: Vinod Obasa Joins Other Lagos APC LG Candidates At Sanwo-Olu’s Reception
    1 week ago
    Lagos Lawmaker Praises Tinubu For Helping Nigeria Breathe Again
    4 weeks ago
    LG Election: Stakeholders Appeal To APC Not To Allow Chairmen Run For 3rd term
    2 months ago
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
    News
    Show More
    Top News
    Ondo Governor, Akeredolu Begins Construction Of First Flyover In Akure
    2 years ago
    Celebration Of Life: Reverend Adewumi Jegede Of Later House Of God Assembly Buried Amid Pomp
    1 year ago
    Pa Abdulfatah Amoo Ayanwale
    Pa Ayanwale Dies At 76, Fidau Prayers Holds 8 August
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    CFE Foundation Seeks Sponsors to Sustain Humanitarian Programs Amidst Funding Challenges
    1 day ago
    2025 World Drug Day: CIKDAS, Flour Mills, Planet Bottling Company Partner To Combat Drug Abuse Amongst Youths
    4 days ago
    D2D Satellite Comms: Nigeria’s Space Research Agency Signs MoU With Chinese Firm, Galaxy Space
    2 weeks ago
    Substance Use Prevention In Focus As NDLEA, UNODC Unveil 2025 World Drug Day Activities
    2 weeks ago
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
    Entertainment
    Show More
    Top News
    Big Brother Naija & 6 Other Reasons To Stay Connected To Your GOtv 
    3 years ago
    Big Brother Titans: 22 Titans Left To Battle For The Ultimate Prize
    2 years ago
    Meet Nigerian Idol Season 8 Top 10 Contestants 
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Local Content Powers African Dreams
    15 hours ago
    The Drama Returns As BBNaija ‘No Loose Guard’ Reunion Premieres June 23
    2 weeks ago
    You Can’t Fake it — James Omekwe On MultiChoice’s Impact On African Filmmaking
    3 weeks ago
    Jkenova and Ellacentric Exit Nigerian Idol Season 10 In Emotional Farewell
    4 weeks ago
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
    Lifestyle
    Show More
    Top News
    Ooni Of Ife’s Delegation In Brazil, Witnesses  Minister Of Human Rights Inauguration
    2 years ago
    Kida, Ejidike Felicitate With Nigerians On Christmas And New Year Celebrations 
    3 years ago
    Heritage Confectionery
    ADICC set for Irish African Food Festival
    11 months ago
    Latest News
    Noble Call to Service: Inside the Induction of 104 New Knights of St. Mulumba
    3 weeks ago
    Joining The Knighthood Brings You Closer To God -Sir Eva Njemanze
    3 weeks ago
    Africa Tech Festival Unveils Strategic Themes For 2025 Event,
    3 weeks ago
    Lagos SWAN Joins UN To Celebrate World Nutrition Month At Unilag Confab
    1 month ago
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
    BusinessShow More
    Unity Bank
    Unity Bank Empowers Young Entrepreneurs With ₦16M Business Grant
    2 days ago
    NNPCL Board Accused Of Planning Lavish Party In Rwanda Amidst N210tn Financial Scandal
    2 weeks ago
    Can the African Energy Bank Transform the Continent’s Refining and Downstream Future?
    3 weeks ago
    Lagos Will Continue To Lead Initiatives That Accelerate Economic Diversification – Sanwo-Olu
    1 month ago
    Afreximbank
    Afreximbank Reports Strong Performance For Q1 2025 In Line With expectations
    1 month ago
  • Health
    Health
    Show More
    Top News
    MUST READ: Palm Wine Lowers Blood Sugar, Cholesterol, And Supports Heart Health
    3 years ago
    West Africa, Eastern Europe Lead In Cocaine Trafficking Hubs
    2 years ago
    Uk’s £15m Funding To Strengthen Health Workforce In Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Online Education Can Enhance Clinical Guideline Use By Over 50% 
    3 weeks ago
    The Hidden Lifeline – Blood Security And Africa’s Health Agenda By Dr Allan Pamba
    3 weeks ago
    Apepa or Arterial Blockage? The Urgency of Self-Care After 45 By Babafemi Ojudu
    4 weeks ago
    Roche Launches Diagnostics Operations In Nigeria,
    1 month ago
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Reading: Voters In Katsina Vow To Dump Buhairi, APC
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
Aa
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
  • Politics
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Health
  • More
Search
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
  • Health
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Independent News Express > Blog > Politics > Voters In Katsina Vow To Dump Buhairi, APC
Politics

Voters In Katsina Vow To Dump Buhairi, APC

Last updated: 2023/02/09 at 8:35 AM
2 years ago
Share
SHARE

Many Nigerians live in constant fear of being kidnapped and held for ransom by armed gangs, especially in the north-west of the country, where thousands of people have had to flee their homes. The insecurity means many in the region, which has the country’s largest number of registered voters, may not take part in the 25 February elections.

An unpaved mile-long road that ends at a tree stump is the only way for vehicles to get into Bakiyawwa village in Nigeria’s northern Katsina state.

This community of mostly subsistence farmers is not where you would expect criminals behind Nigeria’s lucrative kidnap-for-ransom business to go looking for victims.

It came as a surprise therefore when motorcycle-riding armed men invaded last September and abducted 57 villagers.

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

“They held my wife for 38 days,” said Abduljabara Mohammed, a civil servant and one of those considered well-off. He paid 1m naira ($2,100; £1,700) for her release.

A man holding a radio to his ear
Zaradeen Musa will not say how much he gave the kidnappers, but said it was a lot of money

“I gave them all my money and a motorcycle, then pleaded with them not to take me,” said Zaradeen Musa, 30, whose door was kicked in around 01:00 as the armed men, commonly referred to as bandits, operated unchallenged for four hours after repelling a police unit called in by the villagers.

Maria Sani, 45, was seized but managed to slip away as the bandits led the victims to their forest hideout.

She was left wondering what would have become of her if she had not escaped as, like many abducted that day, she could never have afforded the ransom.

All those kidnapped were eventually freed but only after months of negotiations that resulted in them paying with cash or valuables such as motorcycles. The abductions show how far the kidnapping problem has spread – not even the poorest are spared.

Nevertheless, those in Bakiyawwa would consider themselves lucky as the attacks sometimes turn deadly, such as the reported killing of more than 100 villagers by armed men last Friday in another part of Katsina.

Such armed groups in the north-west and violent secessionists in the south-east pose real threats to the 25 February elections, analysts say.

Attacks on offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) led to polls being moved by a week in 2019, and the recent burning of an Inec office in the south-east has led to fears of another postponement, although officials have said there will be no delays.

In December, Inec announced that it was too dangerous to hold the polls in some parts of Katsina state but it is not clear what will happen on election day.

Law professor Chidi Odinkalu argues that this election risks being dragged into unchartered legal territory if insecurity hampers voting and a candidate believes they have been robbed of vital support.

In the past, people have stayed away from voting over fears of violence in southern states like Imo, Anambra, Lagos and Rivers, but now, the kidnap crisis in the north has left many disinterested in the elections.

“You let kidnappers take me, now you want my vote,” said Mrs Sani through an interpreter.

Like many here she previously voted for President Muhammadu Buhari but she is sitting this one out.

A woman in hijab standing between a door post
Maria Sani has no interest in the coming elections after the attack on her village

President Buhari is standing down after serving two terms and Bola Tinubu is standing for the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

“How can you see all the suffering and still vote for the APC?” said Lawal Suleiman, a former party member but now a lone voice in the village campaigning for the Labour Party’s Peter Obi.

Many others in Bakiyawwa say they would probably back the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), if they vote at all.

“If Buhari couldn’t solve the problems of this country, no-one else can,” Nana Samaila, who fled her village in Batsari three years ago after attacks by armed groups, told the BBC.

Her daughter, Aisha Mama, also recently fled with her husband from the village of Dangyya after persistent night-time attacks forced her family to sleep in their farm for weeks.

Mrs Samaila had high hopes that President Buhari, a former military ruler who comes from Katsina, would solve Nigeria’s myriad issues when she first voted for him in 2003, but like many others, she is now disillusioned by the failures of his government.

Hundreds of school children have been abducted and released, and the state governor once asked residents to arm themselves against the bandits in a show of helplessness.

The leading candidates in the election recognise that insecurity, which is intertwined with rising food prices that have caused record levels of inflation, is Nigeria’s biggest challenge at the moment.

Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Mr Tinubu of the APC and Mr Obi of the Labour Party are proposing police reforms, revamping the military and improved welfare, among other ideas.

Their plans are not radically different from what President Buhari, who was elected on a promise of tackling Islamist groups in the north-east, has done with only limited little success.

While he has largely succeeded in containing the Islamist insurgency, violence in the north-west and south-east has massively increased on his watch.

“He scattered [destroyed] the economy, there is so much insecurity,” said Mohammed Yusuf, a farmer originally from Katsina now forced into selling tea and cooked noodles on the streets of the region’s biggest city, Kano.

Two men sitting on a bench
Mohammed Yusuf (L) says he will be voting PDP this time

Kano, Katsina and Kaduna, dubbed the three Ks, are considered key states for whoever wants to emerge as Nigeria’s president because of their large voting population. There are more registered voters here than in the five south-eastern states.

Mr Buhari’s bloc of votes in the trio of states helped him win two elections in a row, and while some will still back the APC, there is a feeling that the party has lost ground in a region battered by insecurity.

Just two weeks ago, this was illustrated when stones were thrown at the president’s helicopter during a visit to Kano.

There is also a dark horse in the form of Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). Only his die-hard supporters expect him to win the presidency, but he has emerged as a major disruptor who might decide who becomes the next president.

A former governor of Kano state and one-time defence minister, Mr Kwankwaso is immensely popular in Kano and neighbouring Jigawa state.

If he takes the majority of votes in Kano, whose six million registered voters rank second only to Lagos, it will greatly affect other candidates, especially those of the APC and PDP.

This might work in favour of the Labour Party which does not have a strong support base in the region.

Mr Kwankwaso, like many other Nigerian politicians, has switched parties several times. Last time, he backed the PDP and there are rumours he will step down for its candidate and fellow northerner, Mr Abubakar, at some point.

“He and Obi won’t win, though they are better alternatives to Mr Abubakar who is a crony capitalist,” said Umar Yahaya, a university student driving a taxi in nearby Kaduna.

“But anyone that votes the APC is rewarding them for failure,” he said, as we headed to the recently reopened Rigasa station to board the Kaduna-Abuja train. The line had been shut for months after a deadly attack by militants which saw the killing and abduction of dozens of passengers.

When Mr Buhari inaugurated the line in 2016 it was considered a sign of progress in the north, but now it has become a symbol of the violence consuming the region.

Source: BBC

You Might Also Like

Lagos LG Poll: Tunde Disco/Ganiyu Obasa Intensify Campaign In Agege

PHOTOS: Vinod Obasa Joins Other Lagos APC LG Candidates At Sanwo-Olu’s Reception

Lagos Lawmaker Praises Tinubu For Helping Nigeria Breathe Again

LG Election: Stakeholders Appeal To APC Not To Allow Chairmen Run For 3rd term

More APC Chairmanship Aspirants Reject Indirect Primary For Local Govt Elections In Lagos State

TAGGED: 2023 General Elections, APC, Buhari
INadminNG February 9, 2023 February 9, 2023
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Telegram Email Print
Previous Article Lagos SWAN Felicitates With AIG Alabi, Hails New Posting To Zone 2 Lagos
Next Article Osinbajo Proffers Solution To Nigeria’s Housing Deficit, Commissions Estate Built By UK-Based Diasporans
about us

Independent News Express (iNews Express), a publication of 4Ds Nigeria Limited, is birthed out of the desires of the founding fathers to report News as it is.

We value Professionalism, Excellence, Service, Creativity and Integrity.

The Company

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy & Policy

Quick Links

  • Advertise with us
  • Newsletters
  • Deal

Categories

Find Us on Socials

© Independent News Express. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?