Dare Babalola
The former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Lawal Daura, has officially declared his intention to contest the 2027 governorship election in Katsina State.
In an interview with DCL Hausa on Tuesday, Daura revealed his plan to challenge Governor Dikko Radda’s re-election bid.
He pointed to the governor’s alleged mishandling of the state’s security issues as the main reason he’s throwing his hat in the ring.
Daura blasted the alleged politicisation of insecurity and double standards in Nigeria’s fight against insecurity, especially in tackling banditry in Katsina State.
“You cannot be a governor and go to the battlefront to show you are fighting insecurity. That is not the work of a governor because he is not trained to do so,” Daura stated this after the interviewer spotlighted the governor demonstrating his commitment to addressing insecurity by going to the battle front.
“For a governor to go to a battlefront, this is the politicisation of insecurity and a recipe for failure,” Daura said.
Daura slammed the state’s approach to peace talks with bandits, claiming the governor publicly rejects negotiations while local authorities secretly engage them.
“The dialogue initiative has failed because the bandits are dispersed and unorganised,” he claimed.
When asked about the governor’s progress in road construction, water provision and other development initiatives, Daura was dismissive. “If security fails, you cannot claim success in other sectors,” he argued.
“The current governor is not capable. It is like putting a load on someone and adjusting it; if they complain the load is too heavy, you have to take it down to avoid destroying fragile items.
“The people of Katsina will say ‘thank you for your efforts,’ but you should take a break because you cannot continue”, he said while dismissing the second term chances of Governor Radda.
Daura said he never previously saw himself as a politician, despite having vast experience in politics, beginning from the Shehu Shagari administration, having preferred to participate in politics from the background. However, he claimed a group of Katsina elders urged him to join the race to “save the state.”
He stated that he has finalised consultations regarding his political platform and will announce his chosen party shortly.
