There is an emerging reality in the politics of Kaduna State. And it suggests that, of all the political parties that have entered candidates from Kaduna South for the 2023 governorship election, the Labour Party (LP) is seen as more likely to topple the All Progressives Congress (APC) and take over the Government House. LP, with its wave-making followership, and growing fondness among Southern Kaduna people, has also been able to pick a candidate that is loved by the people and also followed by many.
Comrade Jonathan Asake, who is flying the flag of Labour Party in the election, is youthful and resourceful. He is seen as serious-minded and has the vision and focus of previous Southern Kaduna leaders, which is what has endeared him to the people of the zone.
Most people from the zone believe that he will get their votes ahead of the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because of his simple disposition, which they likened to those of the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi.
Southern Kaduna has, since 1999, struggled to have a foothold on the governorship of Kaduna State. They have also produced many strong persons who exhibited strong and visionary leadership credentials in the likes of Adamu Maikori, Isaiah Balat, Garba Ali Madaki, Joshua Madaki, Elias Nyan, Yohanna Madaki and Stephen Shekari. These great political leaders of Southern Kaduna extraction did so well on the political turf but despite traversing different political parties none of them ever got to lead the state as governors.
However, their passion and vision for Southern Kaduna remained intact. Somehow, their involvement raised the bar of Southern Kaduna’s quest to govern Kaduna and probably helped to prop up Patrick Yakowa, who became governor of the state from May 2010 to December 2012, and indeed the first of southern Kaduna political leaders to enter office as governor of Kaduna State. His ascendency opened up several possibilities for the people of southern Kaduna. Though his tenure was cut short by death, it, however, ensured that the voice of Southern Kaduna was heard. This was, perhaps, one of the factors that made Yusuf Barnabas Bala (Bantex) possible as deputy governor to Nasir El-Rufai between May 2015 and May 2019.
His exit, however, opened the door for a stronger agitation by Southern Kaduna to produce the next governor after El-Rufai. In fact, many Southern Kaduna people believe that it is ‘the turn’ of the zone to pick up the governorship after El-Rufai.
This agitation has found expression in PDP and Labour Party who are now fielding Southern Kaduna candidates for 2023. This shifts the battle for the governorship of the state in 2023 to Southern Kaduna, where many people believe that the LP candidate is having a rock star review as the new kid on the bloc. Though PDP and its candidate, Isa Ashiru, have long been around before the arrival of the youthful Comrade Asake on the turf, the party is still not seen as being in the position to upstage the LP. LP is coming up very strong in Kaduna South and is poised to become the new face of a movement for the political life of the zone. This will task the ingenuity of PDP and its leadership in battling to upstage it.
Asake resigned as the president of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), a group whose leadership he piloted very well, endearing himself to the people in the process. This is what has made him more popular than his PDP counterpart in the zone. It is also believed that the charismatism of the party’s presidential candidate is an advantage LP is tapping into in the effort to dump PDP out of contention in the zone. However, there seems to be discord in his politics as far as it concerns carrying people of the zone along.
For instance, there are insinuations that “the inability of the present-day crop of Southern Kaduna politicians (including Asake) to tolerate and manage their political differences and diversity is a major concern.”
Many are waiting to see how Asake navigates his way out of this concern, if he is to launch a serious challenge ahead of PDP for the governorship race. Also, writing in an article under the aegis of Forum of Southern Kaduna Professors (FOSKAP), John Gambo Laah, PhD, said: “We woke up to the realisation that erstwhile SOKAPU president, Hon. Jonathan Asake, had decided to run for the governorship race in 2023 under the Labour Party.
“The major reason most people had reservations on his candidature for the SOKAPU presidency in 2019 was the feeling that he was politically contaminated.”
This comment speaks volumes about the capacity of Asake to consult and win support for his venture into the political quest. It suggests that he is facing Ashiru for the control of Southern Kaduna votes alone.
The bigger question is, can the charismatism of the LP presidential candidate, and massive online followership, win Southern Kaduna votes for him?
FOSKAP seems to suggest otherwise. It said, “when a man chooses to walk naked, he forfeits the opportunity to put his hands in his pocket.” For the group, Asake lost the support of FOSKAP the moment he resigned from the leadership of SOKAPU to throw his heart into the governorship ring.
Also, the Southern Kaduna Community Development Associations (SOKACDA), in a communiqué released at the end of its meeting of July 30, 2022, held at the Kagoro Town Hall, said, “The former SOKAPU president’s quest for political office is not a Southern Kaduna Community project but a personal one and he has the freedom to pursue his personal political ambition without necessarily consulting with the community leaders.”
The communiqué was signed by chairman and protem secretary of the forum, Dr. Zwahu Bonat and Haruna Musa, respectively.
However, youths of Southern Kaduna are standing firmly with Asake. Most of them believe that Asake represents their future and also feel that what their elders are doing is without the support of the majority of the youth population.
Most youths in the zone believe that Asake’s candidacy is a nail in PDP’s aspirations. For this reason, there are feelings that southern Kaduna elders who are against Asake’s candidacy are actually and indirectly voicing their support for PDP despite the Labour Party now driving more popularity in the zone than the PDP.