By Comfort Olayinka
Amid defection rumours, a few supporters of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), allegedly loyal to the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru were been observed vandalizing billboards bearing images of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governor Umar Namadi and Jigawa state APC Chairman, Aminu Gumel in Dutse, Jigawa state.
The incidents have sparked concerns, particularly in light of growing speculation that the Defence Minister, Badaru may be preparing to switch political allegiance by defecting to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 elections.
The billboards, located in key areas of the city, were seen slashed, defaced and in some cases, completely destroyed by youths allegedly acting on the signalled defection notice of their boss or a script to portray the Governor bad.
Speaking to our correspondent, one of the aggrieved youths who gave his name as Bala Sule Babura, voiced his disappointment in the government, citing that Governor Umar Namadi has being running the state the way he likes without recourse to Badaru.
“The Governor here has refused to follow the instructions of the former Governor. Those of us loyal to the party can hardly access government house because of the sharp divide between the Governor and his predecessor. The promises made to us haven’t materialized and it feels like we’re worse off now”, Babura expressed.
Political analysts have noted that Governor Namadi has taken full charge of the entire leadership structure in the state against the wishes of the former Governor and now Minister who fought tirelessly against the emergence of Namadi as Governor of Jigawa state, thereby rendering Minister Badaru almost politically impotent in the state as key stakeholders earlier loyal to Badaru have all switched their full loyalty to the governor, a practice Badaru is not finding funny at all.
It is worthy of note that the people of the state voted massively for Umar Namadi as their governor against the directives of Former Governor Abubakar Badaru who didn’t want his deputy to succeed him.
An indigene of Dutse, Baba Mohammad who granted an interview noted that paying a few group of boys money to destroy the President’s billboards will not change the love and trust the people of Jigawa state have on Umar Namadi.
“Badaru may have thought that to align with the PDP will help him regain political relevance in the state, but truth be told, it will further signal a total collapse of his already weak political structure in Jigawa state which is evident to even the blind particularly as the country moves closer to another general election. I was Badaru’s Coordinator for the Artisans here but I had to leave him like others did before the election when he ordered us to vote against Umar Namadi”, Mohammad stated.
The actions of his alleged supporters have further fueled these rumours of defection.
More suspicion is abound as Badaru is yet to release any official statement on his indictment of trying to force the current Governor to release a certain percentage of the state’s monthly allocation sums to him which the Governor refused vehemently.
Some party members have expressed concern over the discontent within their ranks noting that the Governor is the leader of the Party in the state and should be allowed to rebuild the party from the total mess Badaru left it.
Governor Namadi has countless times stated that the monthly allocations are mainly for the development of the state and not for political hijackers.
Meanwhile, opposition members have taken note of the events as a potential indication of rising dissatisfaction among APC loyalists, possibly providing the PDP with new alliances as they strategize for the upcoming elections.
The public too remains watchful. The remaining few around the Minister are already feeling the impact of their principal’s loss of the people’s trust as they are now left with questioning the political future of Badaru which seems to be in its diminishing phase.
This incident marks yet another chapter in Nigeria’s dynamic political landscape, illustrating the challenges of leadership and the complexities of political loyalty and home base political redundancy which Badaru is being faced with
Some opinion moulders have noted that Badaru is holding a position he doesn’t deserve following the low number of votes he was able to garnear for President Tinubu in the last Presidential election.
“In Jigawa state today, Badaru has no significant influence even as Minister of Defence as no one cares to take him serious, so his defection to PDP will be of no negative consequence to APC Jigawa state”, Mohammad concluded
