Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State has said a humble and impartial person is the best candidate to succeed him in 2023.
Governor Badaru is in the last lap of his tenure, as he was elected governor of the state in 2015 and re-elected in 2019.
The governor disclosed this after he was honoured by Hadejia Ina Mafita, a non-political community-based organisation, on Monday.
Badaru, who said that the onus is on the people of Jigawa State to decide who will be their governor in 2023, said his possible successor must be someone who has ears for the people of the state.
“My prayer is that we get somebody who is humble, have the fear of Allah in him and who will continue from where we stop and who will listen to the people like we do.
“My wish is that the next governor must be somebody who is fair-minded, a good listener,” Badaru said.
Unlike Badaru, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has already handpicked a successor.
He anointed Pastor Umo Eno, who is the current Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources in the state, as his successor.
This act has come under attack by stakeholders in the state.
Zoning in APC
Badaru, who chaired the APC’s Strategy Committee, however, said zoning was one of the burning issues in the polity.
He confirmed that discussions were ongoing about how to achieve a peaceful resolutions of all the contending issues before the February 26 convention of the party.
He said, “I’m the Chairman of the Strategy Committee of the party, which includes zoning so I cannot speculate on this because the committee will look into it.
“But whenever a decision is taken, we will let the nation know accordingly. But I can confirm that we are discussing the matter at the APC Strategy Committee.”
