The Special Assistant on Inter-governmental Affairs to Governor Mohammad Badaru of Jigawa State, Musdapher Kaloma, has accused the governor of imposing his favoured candidates on the people and has subsequently resigned his appointment and defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Kaloma, who had contested in the APC primary for the state House of Assembly but lost, alleged that the party lacks democratic credentials and could not be trusted to bring the dividends of democracy to the people.
Kaloma said there was no ideological difference between the ruling party and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as both lack internal democracy.
“I registered with the SDP with the hope that things will get better and the voices of the people will be heard, attended to and supersede personal interest,” he said.
He alleged that most of the candidates who emerged from the APC primaries were selected based on favouritism rather than on merit.
Kaloma, a lawyer, also said young people were underrepresented despite their active participation in the process.
He pointed out that only Gudaji Kazaure, the member representing Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa and Yankwashi federal constituency, falls within the youth bracket in the state’s politics.
“It’s unfortunate that APC leaders in Jigawa see political representation as an opportunity for someone to acquire wealth, not a responsibility to serve; as a result of which Jigawa is poorly represented at the National Assembly.
“I have an ambition of becoming a lawmaker because of a growing outcry over poor representation that my constituents are facing. Unfortunately, I was frustrated out with flimsy excuses of being from a particular geographical location, which is against the party’s constitution,” Kaloma said.
“But there was no feedback, rather he sent some people to tell me that the person I am challenging is loyal to the governor and by age is above the governor. For those reasons, he was imposed on his constituents.
“What makes democracy the best form of government is because of the electioneering process where people have a say on who will represent them through voting, not the governor or party leaders to sit behind closed doors and impose a candidate on the electorate,” Kaloma said.
In a swift reaction, the governor’s media aide, Bello Zaki, said the governor never imposed any candidate throughout the primaries, noting that politicians who lost out at the primaries have the right to voice out their opinions.
