With the final declaration of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on Thursday, it seems the dust of the Kaura Namoda South Constituency by-election in Zamfara State has finally settled. Come what may, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has awkwardly managed to retain its seat—in one of its few major strongholds in the state.
The keenly contested seat became vacant following the passing of an APC lawmaker, Aminu Ibrahim Kasuwar Daji who died in April 2025. Consequently, the outcome technically maintains the status quo, as neither can it be said that APC won nor that PDP lost overall.
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However, the path leading to this stage has been marked by controversies, notably allegations of vote-buying and abuse of federal power that potentially influenced the outcome of the election. These developments have triggered my curiosity about the dynamics at play, with serious concerns about the apparent politicization of our security system and the vulnerability of the electorates to succumb to political manipulation and intimidation among other underlying issues that need examination.
One of the key issues that left me dumbfounded was the massive security deployment by the federal government to the constituency, just to secure the votes of unsecured electorates. This is particularly striking because the area was previously left at the mercy of bandit terrorists due to a lack of adequate boots on the ground, only to shamelessly deploy security personnel to the area purposely for a by-election involving a handful of polling units. This exposes the callousness of the people at the centre.
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More worrisome was the professional misconduct allegedly exhibited by some military personnel who were executing the dictates from ‘the above’. I urge the appropriate authorities to investigate those allegations and take necessary actions to safeguard the integrity of the military and the police.
However, this sabre-rattling only corroborates Governor Dauda Lawal’s consistent lamentations about the lack of authority over the federal government-owned and controlled security architecture in the state. This constitutional limitation is undermining Governor Lawal’s efforts in the war against banditry in the state that he is determined to prosecute.
It is disheartening that instead of using their influence to mobilise additional security personnel to secure the state, the APC only utilizes such influence and federal advantage for their selfish political interests. It is more annoying given that they governed Zamfara for years and knew all where its roof leaks, but still refused to help when they could, simply because their party was voted out of power in the state. How heartless one can be!
Another alarming trend I noticed is the institutionalization of vote-buying. One can’t help but question whether it was a by-election or a ‘buy-election’. The APC has already weaponized poverty and established a legacy of vote-buying in the state to the extent that this act is portrayed as a major strategy and a bragging political dexterity, making the whole electoral process materialistic. They sadly succeeded in brainwashing the majority of the electorates who erroneously see election as a transactional opportunity where votes should be cast only in favour of the highest bidders against credible candidates.
This undemocratic practice may be one of the reasons for our underdevelopment as a state because, if we’re to be true to ourselves, we can’t eat our cake and still have it. It amounts to serious cognitive dissonance to sell your vote during an election and still expect the provision of basic amenities from the same politicians who bought your votes. By doing so, you have also relinquished your moral rights to complain about the lack of dividends of democracy when you prematurely ate the very seeds that were supposed to be sowed and nurtured into those democratic dividends that you aspire to enjoy.
No wonder the APC has over the years taken the good people of Zamfara for granted. They failed to provide good governance while in power and advertently refused to revamp education sector, fix healthcare system, strengthen security, or improve other critical sectors, knowing that they can still buy their way using the very resources they milked from our state. Why should they stress themselves constructing schools, hospitals, roads, paying gratuities, implementing the minimum wage, settling WAEC and NECO fees for your children when they can easily buy your mandate?
Finally, I heard the echoes of some objective and critical voices targeting our promising administration loud and clear, and I encourage listening to them. I’m confident that Governor Dauda Lawal will always accord his listening ears to the voices of reason for improvement where necessary and laugh at the rest. It shall be well with Zamfara, Insha Allah!
· Tudu is a Senior Special Assistant on Media, Office of the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government. [email protected]
