Taraba South Senator, David Jimkuta has asked political leaders to always remember their primary support base and constituents in spite of their newfound status in life.
Jimkuta who recalled his days as an Okada rider (commercial motorcyclist) spoke earlier in the week at the Nigeria Law School, Bwari in Abuja where the Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike had donated seven vehicles to the school and also flagged off the construction of 10 sets of 4-bedroom bungalows for staff.
The Taraba senator who is the Senate Committee Chairman on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters said the minister as a lawyer has done well to have remembered his alma mater.
"I like what you are doing. Me, before I became a senator, I was once an Okada man and it is in the same spirit that I gave them bikes. As a politician, I give to them because that's my primary constituency.
So, what you are doing here, you are encouraging your primary constituency and it is commendable. It's not politics. Whoever says it's politics, let him go and try his own luck.
"Honourable Minister, we appreciate you and we support what you are doing in the FCT", he stated.
Against the odds
At the primary election of his All Progressives Congress APC, Jimkuta had won the party's nomination, polling 170 votes to defeat his rival, Danjuma Shiddi.
As of then, Shiddi was the incumbent member representing Wukari/Ibi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
However, Jimkuta's name was not submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC. Shiddi's name was submitted.
Jimkuta promptly challenged the decision at the Federal High Court in Jalingo but he lost Shiddi. Then he went to the appellate court where he won. Shiddi took the case to the Supreme Court where Jimkuta also won and his name was ordered returned on the ballot.
Jimkuta would go on to cause the greatest upset in the actual Senatorial election where he defeated the then incumbent governor of the state, Darius Ishaku who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
In that election, Jimkuta polled 85, 415 votes to defeat then Gov. Ishaku who scored 45,708 votes.
