PDP CONFIDENT OF SHEMA'S VICTORY IN KATSINA GUBER ELECTION

The chairman of Katsina State Concerned PDP Members Forum, Alhaji Aliyu Sani Mohammed, has said that Governor Ibrahim Shema will shame his detractors by securing total victory in the April 26 gubernatorial election in the state.

In a chat, he said that Shema's achievement in the last four years would guarantee his return. Expressing optimism in the guber poll, he maintained that a number of factors will determine the outcome.

Mohammed said: ' Shema is coming back by the grace of God. Politics has gone beyond sentiments. People are wiser now. Shema has delivered on his promise to Katsina electorate. In fact, he has exceeded the expectation of the people hence they are routing for him to come back.

What he has done in the four years, all former governments put together have not achieved that. His good work cuts across all sphere of life in the state including education, youth empowerment, heath, housing etc'. He attributed the performance of the PDP in the last election to bandwagon effect, maintaining that the guber election will be totally different because even the opposition will vote for him.

In the same vein, Sani Kaita, Katsina State coordinator, Media Initiatives said to vote against Shema is to turn back the hand of the clock which started ticking since 1999.

He said: 'After eight years in the saddle, and an unparalleled achievements compared to his contemporaries from 1999 to 2007, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua paved the way for the emergence of Gov. Shema in 2007. As Nigerians from all walks of life have testified, the depth and tempo of achievements Katsina State has witnessed since Shema assumed duty vindicate the wisdom of Yar'Adua, the father of modern Katsina State, to support the ambition of Shema in 2007.

'After careful and painstaking planning, the late Yar'Adua initiated a number of things that were lacking in the state, namely: An international airport, state university, modern maternal and child hospital, face lift in the state capital and other towns, good network of roads and rehabilitation of collapsed infrastructure among others.

Yar'Adua started most of the projects that would have remained nothing but white elephant projects if Shema had not stepped into his shoes in 2007. For instance, Yar'Adua started the task of upgrading Katsina airport to an international status which was completed by Gov. Shema. He committed the bulk of the resources estimated at billions of naira for this project to be a reality.

Again, Yar'Adua administration conceived the state university project but available records show that the Shema administration had expended over N12 billion on the development of the permanent site of the university. This gesture has made the Ivory Tower an enviable reference point in the development of a university in Nigeria.

There are many more examples. By act of fate and divine ordination, Shema has piloted the affairs of Katsina State with a level of achievement that shows that the development of the state is not in a vacuum.

Shema set about his mission of consolidating the achievements of Yar'Adua's administration and expanding the frontiers of development and opportunities in the state within the framework of the objectives of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with an uncommon commitment. In deed, Shema has been on the saddle and will continue to be because the centre cannot even hold in the opposition camp due to divisions and political immaturity'.