Satumari: I will retire Ndume from Senate

Kudla Satumari is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Borno South Senatorial District. He spoke with reporters in Abuja on his plans for his constituents and why he believes he can defeat the incumbent, Senator Ali Ndume of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Assistant Editor, GBADE OGUNWALE was there.

Members of his communities prefer to call him Haske (promise keeper). Kudla Satumari has vowed to retire veteran lawmaker representing the Borno South Senatorial District, Senator Ali Ndume, from the Upper Legislative Chamber.

Satumari, who is contesting on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has thrown his hat in the ring with, Senator Ndume of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ndume is seeking a third term in the Senate. In a recent chat with newsmen in Abuja, Satumari lamented what he described as poor representation of the southern Borno people at the National Assembly, particularly the Senate. According to him, the quest for better representation for the district is being made by the people themselves, saying the constituents have decided to take their collective destiny in their own hands.

Satumari said his people have come to the conclusion that their representation in the Senate can no longer be entrusted to politicians of the “business as usual school” of thought. His words: “First and foremost, there is need to provide positive and all inclusive representation. This is one thing that has been lacking. There is this general consensus among people from Southern Borno that they want change. Never in the history of Southern Borno politics have the elites, the youths, women, opinion leaders and religious leaders, unanimously reached a consensus that there is a need to change those representing us at the National Assembly, especially the Senate. My people have been looking for the type of representation that will be all inclusive. This time around, they want people that have the passion, the competency, the capacity and commitment to drive the interest of our senatorial district in every aspect of their representation”.

The PDP candidate bemoaned the underdevelopment of his district and blamed the situation on disconnect between the elected representatives and the electorate. He insisted that the present crop of Borno federal lawmakers, particularly in the Senate, have let the people down.

He said: “We are lagging behind so we want to drive this change that will bring all our issues to the centre stage. There are issues that are peculiar to our people. And there are people who understand those issue and want to address them. That is why I offered myself to represent our people at that level. I am not seeking to be a senator of Southern Borno. Rather, I am contesting to be a senator of the Federal Republic. There are differences between a southern Borno senator and a senator of the Federal Republic”. Asked how he intends to actualise his vision since he has never represented his people at that level at anytime in the past.

Satumari said: “When I go in there, I am going with larger understanding and bigger understanding of how I can function and contribute to the development of the nation, in the context of representing and becoming the voice of my people. People go there and make promises of things only the executive can provide. I have a clear understanding of the roles and responsibility of a legislator,  particularly a senator. I know the issues.

I know what I can do. And I want to contextualise it. In the context of representing the nation, I am going to be the eyes, nose and ears of Southern Borno senatorial district. I mingle with people so I can lobby for interventions and development. I will bring infrastructure, I will bring succour in terms of enhanced security, enhanced agriculture and all that. It has to be within a context. In distant and recent past, I have sought for and obtained interventions from international bodies and local organisations to support my people.

I know how to lobby. I know how to persuade people to do things for us. That is one of the reasons why I am contesting. And that is the difference between me and others that may have been there or aspiring to go there.

There is nothing a senator that represented or is representing Southern Borno has done that I have not done in my individual capacity. And I believe that if I go there as a senator, I will do much more than they have done. I know what you can use the influence of the office to attract to your area”. However, one formidable obstacle in the way of the youthful politician, is the entrenched bloc of old political horses that has been in existence in Borno South since 1999. As a matter of fact, the entire Borno has always been an enclave of the defunct All Peoples Party (APP), the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and now the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the commanding heights of politics in the state. What are his chances, in view of the fact that those political forces are still in firm control in the state.

Hear him: “The issue is not whether I stand a chance or not. We are going to take what has always been rightly ours. In the sense that we have always won elections as PDP in Southern Borno. In 2011, of the three senatorial districts, two of them were won by the PDP. The then sitting governor lost his election to the Senate to a PDP candidate. And they were saying oh PDP was at the centre and what have you. At that time, the ANPP was the party in charge of the state but which is one of the parties that merged into the APC.

As at that time, ANPP was united as one party, with the governor of the state having the final say. And there was no faction or division among them. Yet, the PDP won against them. Now, the people are not happy with the situation on ground. Never in the political history of Southern Borno have there been consensus among all strata of people that they need a change.  The manner in which APC conducted their primaries in Borno has factionalised the ruling party in the state. As I speak, they are still struggling to resolve their differences. So if PDP could win elections there when they were united, then it goes without saying that this is the right time to get them out. Again, studies have shown that in every eight years, there is this window of opportunity for opposition to have a level playing ground. And talking about Southern Borno in particular, I have never seen the kind of consensus among the people for a change. And our people have rejected tribe, religious and gender issues, which some people were using to their advantage in the past. Our people have gone beyond that.

There is that synergy and unity of purpose to make sure there is a change in National Assembly representation. You could see their sincerity. It is palpable that you can cut it with a knife”. It has been observed that some opposition candidates in other parties contesting elections at various levels have been joining President Muhammadu Buhari’s photograph with theirs on their campaign posters. This could be a sign that the President commands higher electoral value, particularly in the North, including Borno.

Satumari admitted this much. His words, “Yes, I can confirm to you that in some areas in the North, the President has cult-like following. In my senatorial district, there are areas where he has this cult-like following. I would not for the sake of politics, say things that are not the truth. People like President Buhari.

But I can tell you authoritatively that in my senatorial district, they don’t like the APC anymore. There is no way you can divorce President Buhari from the APC. And again, in this 2019 contest, there is a permutation that is quite different from what obtained in 2015″.