The Peoples Democratic Party candidate for Askira/Uba/Hawul Federal Constituency of Borno State, Kudla Milinda Satumari Haske, has confirmed his intention to contest the 2027 House of Representatives election.
Haske, who disclosed this in an interview with LEADERSHIP on Friday in Abuja, said traditional and religious leaders, youth and women groups, party stakeholders and other community members persuaded him to join the race, citing the need for a new direction for the constituency.
He said he had initially decided against participating in the 2027 election but changed his mind after consultations with stakeholders and developments in the political landscape.
“At a point, I was actually not going to even participate in the 2027 election,” he said.
“But when the pressure became much that I needed to be part of the evolving political landscape, a couple of respected individuals from our community, traditional institutions, religious institutions, youth groups and women cried out.”
Haske said political movements by some stakeholders had created a situation that prompted community leaders to seek his participation in the federal constituency election.
“Then they said, in the interest of holding our people together and in the interest of providing that new direction, they appealed,” he said.
He said he eventually accepted the contest after considering the arguments presented by the various delegations.
“And after compelling reasons that they gave, I had to succumb, and I accepted to run as a candidate for the Federal House of Representatives, Askira/Uba, under the platform of the PDP,” he said.
On his priorities if elected, Haske identified insecurity, agriculture, infrastructure, education and healthcare as key areas requiring urgent attention.
“My focus is on seeing that all efforts, without politicising our efforts, are towards making sure we find some solutions or contribute towards finding a solution to the issue of insecurity,” he said.
He said insecurity had severely affected farming activities in the constituency, stressing the need to create conditions that would enable residents to return to their farms.
“Our people are mainly farmers. We want them to return back to their farms.
“We want agricultural and infrastructural facilities to be provided for them,” Haske said.
He also listed education and healthcare among the areas requiring attention.
“We want education, healthcare and all that,” he added.
Haske said his decision to seek election to the House of Representatives would enable him to concentrate his development agenda on the immediate needs of Askira/Uba.
“The advantage of me accepting to run for the House of Representatives now is that my broader goal for Southern Borno can be focused on the Federal Constituency, which will make a greater impact directly to the immediate constituency,” he said.
He, however, clarified that his political movement, Haske, was separate from the PDP and had supporters across political parties.
“Haske, as you know, is a movement. It is not a political party per se,” he said.
“I have supporters that cut across all political parties, and we have been with them.”
Haske said the movement would continue to operate across Southern Borno despite his decision to contest the House of Representatives election.
“And Haske, as a movement, will not reduce the level of participation that it has across all the nine local governments,” he said.
“I will continue to support the activities of our political party and all the supporters that we have.”
He said his immediate political objective was to represent Askira/Uba in the House of Representatives while contributing to national development through legislation and oversight.
“Going for the House of Representatives is to represent my people as a member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing the good people of Askira/Uba,” he said.
Haske said his broader political vision for Nigeria, Borno State and Southern Borno remained unchanged despite the shift in his political ambition from the Senate to the House of Representatives.
“So, Haske’s vision for Nigeria has not changed. Haske’s vision for Borno State has not changed. For Southern Borno, it has not changed. For the immediate people of Askira/Uba, it has not changed.”
He said the change was primarily driven by the political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The only dynamics that have changed is because of the political landscape and the permutations that we have therein,” he said.
“It has now moved to go to the National Assembly, not as a senator, but as a member of the Federal House of Representatives.”
Haske said members of the National Assembly had a responsibility to ensure that citizens benefited from democratic governance through legislation, representation and oversight.
“We are all working towards making sure that our people get the dividends of democracy, that good governance is put in place, and that oversight functions are provided, so that the implementation of policies and projects that will touch the life of our people are achieved,” he said.
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