The political dynamics in Kaduna State is fast changing as a former aide to ex-Governor Ahmed Makarfi, Nuhu Ibrahim, is set to wrestle the Kaduna North Senatorial seat from Mr. Makarfi, who is a serving senator.
Mr. Ibrahim was chief of staff to Mr. Makarfi when he was governor and a member of his campaign organisation between 2007 and 2011.
After serving two terms in the Senate, Mr. Ibrahim said it is time for his former boss to take the back seat and allow others to also give quality representation to the area.
In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, Mr. Ibrahim said although he has tremendous respect for Mr. Makarfi, he would still challenge him for the Kaduna North senatorial election come 2015.
Mr. Ibrahim said, “Senator Makarfi did a great job when he was the governor of Kaduna State and has also served as senator for two terms. I have so much respect for him but it is my constitutional right to seek to represent the people of my area in the Senate.
“My former boss did a great job as governor of Kaduna State but has not brought the kind of representation the people require from their senator. But you know that some of them who are former governors find it difficult to go down to the level of their constituents.
“They are used to seeing people go to them but not the other way round, which is what is expected from representatives of the people in the national legislature.”
After serving twice in Mr. Makarfi’s gubernatorial campaign organisation and twice in his senatorial campaign team, Mr. Ibrahim said it was time for him to also seek the mandate of the people to serve.
While acknowledging that Mr. Makarfi has strong political roots in the state, Mr. Ibrahim, however, insisted that he is the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate to beat in the forthcoming senatorial election in the state.
He said, “If the PDP wants to win the Kaduna North Senatorial election come 2015, it has no better option than to give me the ticket to run. I am the candidate to beat during the election.”
Apart from serving in Mr. Makarfi’s campaign team, Mr. Ibrahim was at various times the chief of staff to the governor and the commissioner for information in Kaduna State between 1999 to 2007.
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