Wike vs Fubara: Second Tinubu's Minister Begins Supremacy Battle With His State's Gov
- Like Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, Badaru Abubakar, has become another former governor in President Bola Tinubu's cabinet, having a supremacy battle with his successor
- Abubakar, a two-term former governor of Jigawa state, is said to be having a strained relationship with Governor Umar Namadi, who was elected in 2023
- Reports indicated that the rift between Governor Namadi and the minister of defence started with his choice of the speaker of the state House of Assembly, breaching an agreement he had with his political godfather
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Badaru Abubakar, the minister of defence, has been said to be having a strained relationship with his successor in Jigawa state, becoming the second President Bola Tinubu's cabinet member and former governor having a supremacy battle with his state governor and political godson. The first was Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The rift between Abubakar and his successor in Jigawa state, Umar Namadi, was said to have started from the choice of the state House of Assembly speaker. Governor Namadi was alleged to have agreed with the defence minister on who would become the speaker, but the political godson allegedly turned down the agreement, an action many Abubakar's loyalists see as backstabbing.
Source: Twitter
Governor Namadi was said to have worsened the situation by appointing some technocrats as technical assistants, making many of the minister's supporters redundant. The former governor's camp felt betrayed, alleging that the governor had failed to accord Abubakar enough respect, considering the fact that he brought him into politics in the state.
However, the governor's camp believes that Namadi has shown enough loyalty to his godfather and that it is time for him to let go.
How Governor Namadi started rift with Godfather
According to Vanguard, the rift between the two camps has become more pronounced in recent weeks, with Minister Abubakar's supporters delivering relief materials to victims of a petrol tanker explosion without consulting the state government. This move was seen as a calculated attempt to undermine Governor Namadi's authority. The ongoing feud between the two camps has raised concerns among stakeholders, who fear that it could snowball into a major crisis capable of affecting the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the governor's seat in the 2027 general elections.
Minister Abubakar, who has served as the Defence Minister since August 2023, has a strong connection to Jigawa State, having served as its governor from 2015 to 2023 ². Despite his efforts to reassure Nigerians of his commitment to reducing security challenges, his relationship with Governor Namadi continues to deteriorate.
The tension between Governor Namadi and Minister Abubakar is reminiscent of the rift between Wike and his successor, Siminalayi Fubara. The situation highlights the challenges of transitioning power and the importance of maintaining cordial relationships between political leaders.
Lawyer reacts to Jigawa political crisis
Reacting to the development, Ismail Balogun, a legal practitioner, told Legit.ng in an exclusive interview that godfatherism must be discouraged for the survival of democracy in Nigeria. His statement reads:
"If Nigeria's democracy is to flourish, actions like this that badly portray the democratic system have to be discouraged."
105 die in Jigawa fuel tanker explosion
Legit.ng earlier reported the tanker explosion that made headlines nationwide.
Providing details of the incident, Shiisu Adam, the spokesperson of the state police command, had said the tanker driver lost control while travelling from Kano to Yobe.
Adam added that the incident happened when the people were trying to scoop the fuel from the tanker.
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Source: Legit.ng
