Governors-Elect: Expectations From The Experienced Ones
The April 11 2015 governorship elections may have come and gone but many people are still talking about the results that trickled in from all over the nation.
With the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning the majority of the governorship seats all around the country, expectations are high of change in all facets of government and indeed democracy in Nigeria.
There are certain politicians whose personalities put them under pressure to perform in their new found positions as governor-elect of their states. This is because of their previous achievements in politics and government.
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Interestingly, these governors are all from the Northern part of the country, and they have all been tested one way or the other in various positions before their new found status. The new state chief executives are:
1. Hon, Aminu Tambuwal - 49-year old Tambuwal is a lawyer and the current Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives. Tambuwal will go down in history as one legislative leader that refused to dance to the tunes of the executive government in power. Despite the persecution he faced from the government of the day, Tambuwal was steadfast in deepening democracy in Nigeria and most especially, making sure that the legislature is not tied to the apron of the executive. Tambuwal is the governor-elect of Sokoto state.
2. Nasir El-Rufai - The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory is a renowned and respected technocrat who found his way to the Olusegun Obasanjo administration through referral. His journey into politics is one that made a significant difference in how government should be managed in Nigeria. El-Rufai is respected for bringing back sanity to Nigeria's federal capital - Abuja, that was hitherto turning into a chaotic city. His election as the governor of Kaduna state is expected to bring about rapid development to the state.
3. Samuel Ortom - The former minister of state, Industry, Trade and Investment under the present administration is one man whose popularity in Benue state is beyond politics. Ortom is loved by the Benue people because of his calmness, political maturity and previous performance in government which puts him almost at the same level with the political enigma - the late Aper Aku. So much is expected from this Gboko-born politician who many describe as a veritable bridge between the poor and the rich.
4. Hon. Aminu Masari- Masari was the speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria between 2003 and 2007. He is the governor-elect of Katsina state. He ran unsuccessfully for the office of Katsina state governor in the 2011 election under the Congress for Progressive Change. Masari is widely regarded as a politician with a humane and sensitive spirit. His humility is second to none. Masari is expected to deliver the dividends of democracy based on his past performance.
5. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje - 65-year old Ganduje was the deputy governor to Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano state between 1999 and 2003, under the flag of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). They lost their re-election bid to Malam Ibrahim Shekarau (current Minister of Education). Both of them were re-elected on 27 April 2011 and sworn in on 29 May 2011 for a second term in office. Ganduje is no doubt a loyal political servant to his boss. Little wonder he is the only deputy governor suceeding his boss in this political dispensation. Ganduje has played an active role in the Kwankwaso's administration and it is only expected that he will continue from where his predecessor stopped.
Meanwhile, Barrister Nyesom Wike, the Governor-elect of Rivers tate has asked the out-going governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, and the APC to concede defeat to his party the PDP.
Amaechi had on Saturday said that the gubernatorial election in Rivers State was a sham and called for the cancellation of the entire exercise. However, Wike claimed that although there were minor incidents, the election was free and fair.
Source: Legit.ng
