Tag: Wamakko

In this piece,  a politican from Sokoto State, Hon. Naseer Bazza, disputes the claim that Governor Aminu Tambuwal and his predecessor, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, are working against President Muhammadu Buhari in the Northwest state.

Apparently bent on tarnishing the image of the two most influential politicians in Sokoto state in contemporary times, a group composed of Frustrated Political Parasiites (FPP) claiming to be members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) calling itself Adalci Buhari SAK spoke through Dahiru Yusuf Yabo, who was a Commissioner for Water Resources during the Bafarawa era. Ever since Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko unseated that administration in 2007, Yabo has never failed to show his hatred towards Wamakko, who denied him perhaps a juicy position, had the DPP won in that dramatic election, which saw Wamakko stamping his feet on Sokoto politics, ending the Bafarawa era.

Although, the  group of Frustrated Political Parasites (FPP)  raised issues, but our major concern is to focus on the headline which reads: Tambuwal, Wamakko working against Buhari.  In Arewa’s political history, specifically contemporary history, both Tambuwal and Wamakko have been influential in the emergence of Buhari as a contemporary politician and Buhari as a president. In short, one historic event both Buhari and Wamakko would forever cherish was the 2015 APC campaign in Birnin Kebbi the capital of Kebbi state where Buhari kept on thanking Wamakko for mobilizing a mammoth crowd which was unprecedented in the history of that state. Again. Wamakko who anchored Buhari’s campaign team in the seven Northwest states of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina, made sure that Buhari had the highest votes ever. As  governor of Sokoto State then, he abandoned state matters and relocated by revolving round all the seven states in order not to take chances all for Buhari’s victory and in the end Wamakko’s zone gave Buhari the highest votes ever when compared with Buhari’s three previous attempts. Unfortunately for Yabo and his group, going by the name Buhari SAK, who among them has ever won an election, any election? How many of them can guarantee president Buhari just a 100 votes, just that figure?

Interestingly, President Buhari knows who Wamakko is and who he was to him in 2015 and what and how Wamakko is going to assist him in 2019. Therefore, that dummy of Tambuwal, Wamakko working against Buhari would not sell. It is a bad product that no market can afford accommodating. Another dummy Yabo used but which back fired was where he ignorantly alleged that in 2011 Buhari without the support of both Tambuwal and Wamakko scored  550, 000 votes but in 2015 the duo only added120, 000 votes to the president. The most important thing is winning and not the figure. What if they had added 300,000 votes but Buhari lost, would the figure have been of any benefit? The group is merely composed of frustrated unpopular self acclaimed politicians who have no grassroots base and have never been relevant either at the local level or national. It is a group of busybody  and those seeking for government patronage. It is clear that what they want is contracts and positions in government since they claimed all those from CPC have not been carried along except one of them who is Tambuwal’s political adviser.

Another unreasonable matter raised was the rapport between former Governor Wamakko and Governor Tambuwal. Here, it is also clear that they are not happy with the peace in Sokoto and in the party as well. Are they truly genuine APC members? What manner of APC members are they? Dahiru Yusuf Yabo is still a bona fide member of the PDP who made attempt to decamp to ADP a party he wanted to run for the governorship race come 2019 but somehow found himself in the APC as a mole with an ulterior motive. The question is, is he a card carrying member of the APC or CPC since he has been referring to himself as a CPC member? From our investigations, CPC is not a registered political party in Nigeria so it is either these dissidents are with the APC or they are moles planted to cause confusion in Sokoto APC. What has the cordial relationship between Wamakko and his successor in office got to do with Buhari’s second term? Is it not the same group that said the duo did not add value to Buhari’s election in 2015 by quoting figures? Is it a crime or a sin for a predecessor and his successor to develop good rapport? There is much to it than meets the eye. Dahiru is hiding under political struggle to further expose his personal hatred for Wamakko who has been consistently humiliating Dahiru’s political mentor, Bafarawa in all political issues at both local and national levels respectively. Yabo is acting Bafarawa’s dirty script against Wamakko and the more they plan, the more they always fail.

The group as earlier stated is composed of political liabilities who are desperately in need of relevance as a ticket to receiving government patronage and in its desperation to achieve that the members have resorted to blackmail, slander and malice. Yabo in his interview said 3 of their members were former governorship aspirants, agreed, is that any achievement? How many candidates are in the group? There is a big difference between being an aspirant and a candidate. Anybody can be an aspirant even the market woman can aspire to rule but it takes politicians with substance to qualify as candidates. How many of them can withstand that? As far as we know, 2 of the so called aspirants have been Wamakko allies while the other has been with Bafarawa, hence his hatred for Wamakko who denied the DPP the chance to misrule the state in 2007. The so called chairman of the group Prof. Lawal Bashar was with Wamakko right from 2007 to his second tenure when Wamakko sacked him from the Primary Education Board as its chairman. Again, Aliyu Sanyinna was a commissioner in Wamakko’s administration and was later appointed chairman of the state Assembly Commission. Yabo was also a commissioner in Bafarawa’s cabinet so all 3 aspirants have tasted power and have lost out and are doing whatever it takes to get government patronage but Tambuwal has not been playing to their wishes so they are now fighting back.

From all indications, the group is playing a well written script sponsored by those who are not happy with the cordial relation between Wamakko and Tambuwal. The script which the Adalci Buhari SAK group is acting on, just like the numerous previous ones would not stand the test of time because there is no stopping an idea whose time has come and if Wamakko could withstand and survive over 71 petitions and still standing, this tiny frustrated group would soon fizzle out. It is said that when you feed a dog for three days it would remember you for three years but feed a human for three years and he would forget you in three days. In Sokoto ALU is a phenomenon, in Sokoto ALU is a mystery, in Sokoto ALU is a factor in Sokoto SAI ALU is real. What this dissident group should learn from history is that when you change the way you look at things, the things you look would surely change. As we approach 2019 we are waiting to see whether President Buhari is  going to rely on this FPP members or Wamakko and Tambuwal. For Buhari to have smooth second term, he still needs Wamakko who, whether you like it or not is the issue in Sokoto politics, is the factor in Sokoto and the political pillar for success

However, the APC in Sokoto and the Tambuwal administration should take this as a challenge and wake up to its responsibilities of providing basic social amenities.  Time is running out for  the government and the only way which is always the hard way is for government to do what will benefit its people by providing the necessary social amenities. The Tambuwal administration swore to work for the people and should be seen to be doing so. When a small group start complaining, and issues are not addressed, the matter begins to grow bigger and it may end up consuming institutions of authority. When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. Democracy is about liberty. Therefore, no matter how a minor voice is, it should be heard.

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember and involve me and I learn. Government in a democracy should be inclusive. Bill Gates has said it all,  the APC economic policies have not been addressing poverty, hunger and unemployment. There is need to change the way we look at things. Perhaps, it could be part of the issues this group of Frustrated Political Parasites is challenging, though in a wrong manner.