The race for the Southern Borno senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 general elections has gotten more intense, with political groups and stakeholders disagreeing over plans to replace current lawmaker Ali Ndume.
On Wednesday, tensions rose because people in the district had different ideas about how to handle succession plans.
The Voice of Savannah Community Association, which is led by Comrade Ibrahim Ezekiel Mamza, said that what it called attempts to impose leadership on Southern Borno were not acceptable.
The group said in a statement from Maiduguri that some members of the All Progressives Congress had given a “laughable endorsement” to Abdullahi Askira, the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly.
The group told people, including Sule Gambo, Dr. Hauwa Mai Musa, and Tafu Malla, not to support the lawmaker in the 2027 senatorial race.
The group was worried that Askira, who they said was against the creation of Savannah State, was now trying to represent the zone in the Senate.
It said that the goal was unacceptable and that the fight for Savannah State is still a big issue for the people.
Mamza told Askira and his supporters to apologize in public for what they said about the issue.
People with a stake in the matter are split on succession
Even though the group is against it, there are signs that some stakeholders are telling Askira to run against Ndume in the next election.
But Mamza said that people in all nine of the district’s local government areas, 101 wards, and more than 1,700 polling places are still unhappy with the endorsement.
The group also questioned Askira’s time in office, saying that there were no visible projects that were connected to his time in the State Assembly.
It also made people more worried about safety in the area, saying that the government wasn’t doing enough to deal with the problems caused by insurgents.
The group said that no one locality, including Gwoza, has a right to the senatorial seat. They said that representation has always been decided through open contests.
It pointed to past candidates like Satumari Haske, Mala Gadzama, and Ishaku Shara as proof that elections in the district are competitive.
The group supports Ndume’s re-election.
The group said that Ndume was a brave representative who was dedicated to protecting the interests of Southern Borno and that they still supported the current senator.
It said that his firing as Chief Whip of the 10th Senate showed that he was willing to tell the truth to those in power.
By 2027, it will be our job. The group said, “We vote for Ndume to keep speaking and representing Southern Borno in the National Assembly.”
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