Nigeria’s presidential election: How Borno people will vote on Saturday

Both President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar have pulled thousands of supporters to their campaign grounds during their visit to seek the people’s mandate ahead of Saturday’s presidential election.

The crowd that greeted their visit to Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, however, cannot be said to be the determining factor for winning the presidential election this Saturday.

When DAILY POST spoke with a cross-section of people on how they will vote, many remained unsure, while most of the educated ones seemed to have made up their mind to vote out the current government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Although hundreds of thousands still believe in the Buhari presidency and will be voting for him on Saturday, there are fears, however, from many of his supporters that the President may not be in the right state of mind to lead the country.

As such, they fear that some self-seeking politician may hijack the presidential powers to do their own bidden for the next four years if given the mandate to APC-led administration again.

Malam Usman Bura, a civil servant told DAILY POST that, he has no problem with President Buhari but has a lot more problem with APC both at the state and federal levels.

Bura said: “My fear is that the APC will do everything possible to win even if it means bloodletting. And in Borno state, the governor will surely do everything to ensure APC retains power as some of them would be probed if the PDP returns to power. So, for Shettima, it is going to be suicidal to let anyone apart from Buhari to win.

“For your information, already money is exchanging hands, some local governments were forced to return to Maiduguri to vote in the IDP camps where rigging will be a legal thing. I believe you are also aware of the return of political thugs to Borno. The young men are being fed with drugs and giving weapons of all kinds, which are constantly being brandishing on our streets. This goes to show that for the government, the return to power for APC administration, particularly at the national level is a task that must be achieved either by hook or crook.”

While it is not easy to conclude that the APC will have a field day on Saturday, it is not also easy to say that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Borno state have the powers to stop or determine how the electorate will vote this Saturday.

Observation by DAILY POST in the last days of the campaigns indicated that only the ‘Buharists’ and the ‘Atikulated’ are showing strong desire to change or to maintain power in their struggles to win supporters and gather votes as much as they could for their preferred candidates. There has been nothing much from the other political parties as they have remained also supporters of either Atiku or Buhari.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Adamu Isa, a PDP stakeholder in Borno, claimed victory for Atiku despite the APC’s alleged antics and seeming control of security apparatus in the state.

According to him, there is clear difference between the Buhari of 2015 and the man seeking re-election in the APC this coming Saturday.

“All the failed promises, all the lies, particularly on security issues in Borno and the hunger the people are facing, the frustration and what have you are staring the APC in the face. Unless the people of Borno state no longer have heads on their necks, I don’t think anybody has the desire to go another four years with this current administration.

“Re-electing Buhari is tantamount to going on a suicide mission. If you see anyone calling for Buhari’s return, such individual may be having issues and as the APC chairman Oshiomole would say, ‘under APC, sins are being forgiven.’ So, it goes to tell you that only sinners are in APC,” he said.

On a general assessment, DAILY POST spoke with some electorate who gave their input on how they are going to vote on Saturday.

One of the electorates said there are indications that in Borno state, Atiku is likely to have the day.

On a simple random sampling of opinion among workers in Borno state at the popular Post Office area: ’20 people were asked of their sincere opinion on who they would vote in the Saturday’s election. Three did not give an answer, Nine said Atiku, while eight said Buhari.

The Post Office area, however, may not be a perfect place for such survey due largely to the facts that, people living and working around the area are largely indigenous southern Borno people with few others from North and central parts of the state.

Another issue that may give advantage to Atiku Abubakar over Buhari is the internal wrangling within the ruling APC as many supporters have allegedly formed an opinion that some party members may vote the PDP instead.

However, the Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Borno State, Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori denied the rumour making the round and described such as handiwork of the opposition.

Dalori, who dismissed reports of existing factions within the ranks and files of the ruling party in the state, insisted that APC is one great family with unity of purpose to ensure that all its candidates from President Buhari to councillors emerge victorious in all the polls.

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