Agaju Madugba, Katsina
Two brothers, Kabir Babba Kaita of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and his younger brother, Ahmad Babba Kaita of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are the two major contenders among four other candidates from various political parties who will slug it on Saturday during a by-election to fill the vacant seat of the Katsina North senatorial zone at the National Assembly.
The seat became vacant following the death, last April, of Sen. Mustapha Bukar.
The elder Kaita, a retired Customs Officer, had emerged the PDP candidate by consensus as his only opponent, Mani Nasarawa, withdrew from the race before the primary polls.
But Ahmad Babba Kaita, a serving member of the House of Representatives, (APC Kusada/Ingawa/Kankia Federal Constituency), received a majority 1,723 votes, to beat 10 other aspirants during his party’s primary elections to select a candidate, on July 26, 2018.
Kaita beat his closest rival, another member of the House of Representatives, Nasiru Sani Zangon Daura, who polled 1, 474 votes.
According to the Katsina State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Jibrin Ibrahim Zarewa, four other political parties are expected to contest the seat, alongside the APC and the PDP.
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The election will hold on Saturday across the 12 local government areas of Daura, Zango, Baure, Sandamu, Mai’adua, Mashi, Ingawa, Mani, Dutsi, Kusada, Bindawa and Kakia, that make up the Katsina North Senatorial zone.
Speaking during a meeting with stakeholders at Daura on Wednesday, Zarewa said that INEC was set to conduct the polls.
According to him, “The conveyance of materials will be tracked from the Central Bank of Nigeria until they reach the local government area offices while the results will be tracked until they reach the senatorial collation center in Daura,” noting that voting will take place at a total of 287 points with a total of 878,155 registered voters expected to participate.
He said that the election would involve the use of card readers with simultaneous accreditation of voters and voting, starting from 8.am.