By ADAMU MUHD USMAN

On Tuesday, December 6, 2022, Alhaji Mustapha Sule Lamido, Santurakin Dutse, officially flagged off his gubernatorial campaign for the 2023 Jigawa State governorship election, slated for 11th March 2023.

This is Santuraki’s first attempt for the Jigawa Governorship seat, but not his first attempt to seek political office. He contested for the Jigawa North-Central senatorial district in the 2019 general election, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Today, the PDP is the same political platform Santuraki is using for his governorship campaign. Political pundits say the Sule Lamido political house is known for its consistency in political affiliation and views. The Lamidos are among the very few Nigerian bigwig politicians that have never left the PDP

From the onset, Mustapha Lamido appears enthusiastically ready, knowing fully well that 2023 is his best moment to shoot at the Jigawa State governorship seat. Santuraki will be running on three strong pedestals – first, the Jigawa people are very comfortable with the Sule Lamido School of politics and style of leadership and representative development. Thus, they see Santuraki as the second version of his father. Secondly, Santuraki has also earned the love of the Jigawa people. Thirdly, the party in power – the APC – has performed below the expectation of the Jigawa people. When Sule Lamido’s 8 years of massive development and politics of consultation and allowing others to grow is compared with Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubaka’s – it’s just sad.

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The flag off Mustapha’s governorship campaign and presentation of flags to party candidates in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, is not only historic – but it has sent a strong message to the APC – ‘your time is off in Jigawa State’. The flag-off was witnessed by a mammoth crowd, PDP stakeholders nationwide, governorship aspirants from other states, and the PDP national leadership past and present. It was a carnival-like political gathering.

One of the qualities of Mustapha Sule Lamido is, he is a man of his word, and this has earned him exceptional respect and support from Jigawa masses. Santuraki promised to declare a state of emergency on unemployment among the teeming youths in the state. While promising to modernize agriculture, provide affordable and reachable healthcare, and revamp the education sector to conform with the local needs but within the global best standards. Santuraki’s agenda also includes:  women empowerment that will reach the poor and the most vulnerable, infrastructure that will modernize town and urban areas while the needs and wants of rural communities are fully incorporated in it, and lastly technology and innovation that will create productive jobs while agriculture, mineral, and human resources are its driving forces.

Santuraki also has plan to create some agencies if he becomes the governor of Jigawa that will provide employment opportunities, safeguard the state and bring peaceful co-existence, unity of purpose, mutual understanding, political stability and positive societal changes. These are: Jigawa State Geographic Information System (JIGIS), Jigawa State Roads and Security Agency (JIRASA) and Jigawa state former governors’ forum respectively by the special grace of God.

The flag-off campaign speaks one thing – Jigawa is for PDP,

*Adamu is Public Relations Officer, Santuraki Media Team (SMT).

The Star