IBB’S SON EYEING NIGER GOV SEAT

…Distributes souvenir at workers’ rally

The 2015 governorship ambition of Mohammed, son of the former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, which was hitherto a subject of hearsay was on Wednesday brought into the open with the distribution of campaign bags to workers at the May Day rally in Minna, Niger State.

Workers fell over one another to collect the bags being distributed by foot soldiers of the Mohammed Babangida 2015 campaign organisation.

The bags with the inscription, “I have a plan. What of you?” were enough to go round the crowd of over 2,000 people in attendance.

On the bag is the picture of Mohammed, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) logo as well as the direction his administration would take if voted into office. One of the foot soldiers sharing the bags who simply identified himself as Muhammadu told Daily Sun in Minna that their presence at the rally was to let the workers know that Mohammed’s administration would be worker-friendly.

Before now, Mohammed’s governorship ambition had been shrouded in secrecy with many members of the father’s political dynasty denying knowledge of such ambition.

Recently, however, more and more private and commercial vehicles in Minna and outside Minna had continued to decorate the back screens of their vehicles with Mohammed’s campaign posters and photographs.

The immediate past governor of Niger State, Abdulkhadir Abdullahi Kure, political godson of the former leader, was said to be leading the park of Mohammed’s backers with the oiling of the old Kure political machinery that would soon be put into use. No fewer than seven other aspirants have indicated interest in succeeding incumbent Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu on May 29, 2015.

They include Deputy Governor Ahmed Musa Ibeto, former head of the civil service of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Mateni and Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Muazu Bawa. Others are Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, aka Abulolo, son of Colonel Sani Bello, former military governor of the old Kano State as well as the incumbent Director-General of the National Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Dr. Mustafa Bello.

Wushishi, the homestead of the Babangidas, is in Kontagora Local Government Area in the Niger North Senatorial District, which is slated to produce the next governor for Niger State in accordance with the existing zoning arrangement in the state.

The zone consists of two emirates namely Kontagora and Borgu. Daily Sun reliably gathered that elders of the party in the zone had concluded arrangements to zone the position of senator for the area to the Borgu Emirate while Kontagora would produce the governor.

Source: Sun