Until the sudden entrance into the governorship race in Katsina State by Abubakar Ismaila Isa, Governor Aminu Masari had been the sole aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 general elections. This is causing serious tension in the party.

The leadership of the party, which has since endorsed Masari as its sole candidate, has been battling to tame opposition voices within its ranks, a daunting task it is yet to achieve.

The APC-Akida has been silenced, as its main sponsor, Senator Abdulaziz Yaradua, closed ranks with the mainstream party and is visibly seen in their major stakeholders programmes. The remaining ones like Sada Ilu have left for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while others have remained silent for obvious reasons.

As such, Isa’s emerging voice has become the sole opposition within the party, and this is injecting fears in the polity, especially in Katsina.

Politically, Isa may not be as strong as Masari, but his background as son of a business mogul and an inner circle man in the Aso Villa, being an in-law to the president, is his selling point. He is widely seen as a political novice, having not held any office.

It is widely speculated that Isa’s entry into the race at this time, with a sitting president as an in-law, may make him a force to reckon with. It is widely believed that even though President Buhari has never interfered in the political affairs in the state, his close allies from the state may be behind Isa.

However, Masari enjoys the power of incumbency and a strong political structure in the state. He controls the party structure; hence delegates are expected to be loyal to him.

His recent appointment of local government administrators was seen as another move to reach out to the grassroots ahead of the primaries and the general elections. Already, several other foot soldiers and platforms have been reactivated. A substantive special adviser has also been appointed for his campaign organisation.

The internal wrangling in the APC, especially from aggrieved members, may be a problem, but feelers have it that last week, the remaining members were promised some juicy positions.

•Excerpted from a Daily Trust report

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