APC

By Salisu Uba Kofar Wambai

Atiku Abubakar made campaign promises about tackling border closure which seriously ushered hardships, especially in the North. He equally rolled out plans to liberate Nigeria from the shackles of foreign loans President Muhammadu Buhari immersed it into.

PDP is the party that has formidable and unnerving politicians who fought tooth and nail for democracy to thrive in this country. The party people know the long walk to freedom they walked, and their 16-year dispensation spoke for them. 

PDP mastered campaigns for the creditors to give us waivers, which prevented the country from such loan spells. They ensured Nigeria hadn’t been submitted to total external control like we see today with APC’s inexperienced and heartless dispensation.

PDP has think tanks that guide their foreign relations which made sure we did not accept in toto any development strategy which could undermine the welfare of citizens in the long run. Thanks to their inclusion of technocrats both from home and outside in their socioeconomic and political decision makings 

Atiku was an integral part of all these goodies mentioned; that’s why we suggested northern voters vote for him during the 2023 presidential campaigns. As a northerner who willingly gave power to the South from 1999 to 2015, I thought it was economically stagnant due to the selfish allocation of federal government projects under OBJ and GEJ. The North had expected Buhari to compensate the region for even development of the country.

However, Buhari seemed to have failed and was ignorant of why power was being rotated at the centre. He favoured the South in many aspects of development project allocations like railways, good roads, bridges and electricity. 

Most of the projects Northerners have been clamouring for, like Mumbila Power Plants, Baro Port, Ajakuota Steel Company, KKK gas pipeline projects, and roads linking states of the region, have not seen the lights of the day. And how could North continue to support power-sharing and shift these injustices, shabbiness and iniquity?

The southern PDP governors under Nyesom Wike led a mischievous campaign against their party candidate PDP to work for the southern presidency. They were not a bunch of idiots like some undesirable elements of the northern politicians who selfishly sold out the region for their egocentric notions.

Now that Nigerians are paying the price of what they had bought by bringing APC to power again, we must remind our people how to become politically smart next election season. And many folks from this part of the country cannot still see things as they are. Sad.

Salisu Uba Kofar Wambai writes from Kano State and can be reached via salisunews@gmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Reports reaching the Daily Reality have indicated that Senator Abdullahi Adamu has resigned as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

According to reports, he tendered his resignation on Sunday night. As of the time of this publication, neither the APC chairman nor the party had officially confirmed the story, and party officials have declined to confirm or refute it. 

However, according to party sources, a press conference is scheduled for Monday at noon. The resignation is anticipated to be made official at that time, and an interim National Chairman will be selected. 

The briefing is anticipated to follow the present meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). According to Channels TV, Senator Adamu will be thrown out of office through a vote of no confidence, according to some party insider sources, if he does not quit by himself.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The reservation of some slots to the opposition parties by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could be seen as a move afoot to get a better Nigeria which was one of the things his administration promised Nigerians since his victory.

The Daily Reality recalls that Tinubu promised to run an inclusive government that would thrust Nigeria into greatness.

Speaking as the president-elect in March, Tinubu said he was seeking a better country not just for himself and his supporters but for all Nigerian people, regardless of their political affiliations.

The Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, relayed the news about the slots reservation to journalists at a meeting of the forum in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that Tinubu reserved some appointments in the governing boards of agencies, parastatals, institutions and government-owned companies for members of the opposition Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party.

Abdulrazaq stated that the President asked the governors to nominate competent persons to serve on the boards and parastatals of Federal Government agencies which were dissolved last month.

According to him, Mr Tinubu dissolved the boards last month, which left no fewer than 2,000 vacant positions expected to be occupied by new nominees.

He added that “Among the agencies are the North-East Development Commission with 12 vacant board slots, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission with seven board seats; Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, seven; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, 21.

“Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, 12; National Universities Commission, 21 and Transmission Commission of Nigeria, 14; National Health Insurance Authority,12

“Others are the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, 7; Nigerian Meteorological Agency, seven; Nigerian College of Aviation Technology,8; Nigerian Police Trust Fund, 8; Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency,10; Federal Institute of Industrial Research, 11 and National Centre for Technology Management, 11 among others,” he stated.

By Mohammed Kabir

The title of this piece was adapted from “A Physician’s Diary,” a Daily Trust’s column written by my friend Dr. Fatima Damagum. Titled “First, Do No Harm”, Dr. Damagum counselled her fellow medical practitioners to do no harm to patients with chronic and complicated illness when they are not so sure the prescribed treatments would improve the patients’ conditions. I am myself a victim of harmful decisions taken by medical personnel when I first lost my hearing at the age of 9.

The same principle applies to the newly sworn-in President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If his predecessor, former President Buhari, had done no harm after carrying out exhaustive analysis of the underlying challenges facing Nigeria when he assumed office in 2015, he would not probably have left the country worse than he met it. I know some people may argue that Buhari had left Nigeria better than he met it. That’s their opinion and they are certainly entitled to it.

Tinubu has achieved his lifelong ambition to become Nigeria’s President. He admitted it is the proudest moment of his life. However, he was quick to add that the proud moment is not for himself but for all the people of Nigeria. I sincerely pray and hope so. Nigerian leaders have penchant for making insincere political statements. Former President Buhari’s (in)famous “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody” is still vivid in our memories.

President Tinubu must quickly assemble his team and hit the ground running. There is no time to waste. Nigeria is currently in an ICU. It needs urgent diagnosis and quite possibly multiple surgeries. Sectors that need immediate priority attention include security, economy, power and national unity. This is not to say that other sectors like education, health, agriculture and foreign policy are insignificant.

On security, the President should sack the present crop of service chiefs he has inherited from his predecessor and replace them with more competent ones. If he and his team cannot identify qualified high ranking officers in the military and police to fill the top positions and drive his national security agenda, he should just manage with the current ones. The new President should please do no harm. Any thoughtless attempts to replace the service chiefs with indolent or incompetent ones will spell greater disaster for our country and worsen the prevailing security situation.

On the economy, the President needs to rescind his ambiguous statement regarding fuel subsidy removal. I am not sure it was a carefully thought-out policy statement. A first-hand and
more painstaking analysis is necessary to decide whether or not the fuel subsidy should be sustained. Former President Buhari who repeatedly called the fuel subsidy a scam before his ascension to power could not do away with it for eight long years. I am sure there is more to it than what the anti-subsidy elements are telling us.

It may be absolutely true that the fuel subsidy has been benefiting the affluent class. However, the reckless and ill-timed removal has translated to exponential rise in fuel price and caused a general galloping inflation. Nigerians are already fed up with the incoherent policies of the ruling party under former President Buhari and any attempts by President Tinubu to push for policies that will further aggravate the already precarious situation of the masses is likely to trigger nationwide anger and discontent.

President Tinubu should focus on blocking leakages in the oil sector, place a total ban on smuggling of petroleum products through our ever-porous borders and impose severe penalties on smugglers. The new administration should liaise with the Dangote Refinery to ensure availability of petroleum products, support the completion of the ongoing BUA Refinery, encourage the development and operational efficiency of modular refineries, and make concentrated efforts to revive our ailing refineries. Otherwise, President Tinubu should retain the subsidy payments and do no harm.

Still on the national economy, the President’s order for sacking the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the directives given to the relevant law enforcement agencies to immediately arrest and prosecute him for economic crimes and sabotage is a timely idea. No apex bank governor in the history of Nigeria has done so much harm and caused chaos and suffering to the unsuspecting citizens of Nigeria like Mr. Godwin Emefiele. The President’s statement on the unification of exchange rates is a good move but should be done with caution. His economic management team must come together and help him make informed decisions. Otherwise, he should just maintain the status quo and do no harm.

On power, the new President should declare state of emergency, set up a high-powered committee to review the current arrangements pertaining to the generation and distribution of electricity nationwide. The recent dispute between market operator and distribution companies caused avoidable intermittent blackouts across the country and crippled businesses worth billions of Naira. It is becoming quite obvious that a cabal has hijacked the power sector and it is fraudulently profiting from the present generation and distribution arrangements. The President should maintain status quo and do no harm if he cannot implement urgent reforms needed to guarantee uninterrupted power supply and foster the growth of SMEs.

On national unity, the country has never been so polarized. The Muslim-Muslim ticket generated enormous anger and pitted so many millions of Nigerians against one another. The new President should initiate people-oriented policies and programs that foster harmonious coexistence among Nigerias from diverse backgrounds. President Tinubu should work with the national assembly to enact relevant legislations that will transform the present six geo-political zones into six regional development agencies and foster inter-regional cooperation, as well as healthy inter-regional competition. If the president has no interest in prioritizing national integration and harmony, he should do no harm by allowing his belligerent supporters and overzealous political associates to calumniate and disparage members of the opposition and anyone who criticizes his policies.

On a final note, it appears the president is someone who is so eager to make statements. He should be made aware that the office he now occupies demands the highest level of restraint. His words must be carefully chosen in order not to jeopardize our staggering economy or the already fragile national unity. However, still President Tinubu needs to speak regularly to Nigerians about his policies and programs but also avoid making statements that are open to unnecessary speculations and allusions. Once again, president Tinubu, please do no harm. If you are not so sure about the feasibility, workability and sincerity of any proposed policy or action, just maintain the status quo ante bellum. So many millions of Nigerians, including those who did not vote for you are sincerely rooting for you and praying that you succeed.

Mohammed Kabir sent this article from Kaduna and can be reached via mohammedkabir.ibrahim@gmail.com

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Immediate past Nigeria Interior Minister and two-term governor of Osun State, Abdulrauf Aregbesola, has disclosed that he is back to restructure the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Osun State.

On Wednesday, Aregbesola made his intention public while addressing party faithfuls at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo.

The former governor sought forgiveness of the party party members and stated that it is time for restructuring and reconciliation in the party.

He noted that he did not offend anybody, but said, “whoever feels that we offend him or she should forgive us.

“We seek forgiveness from those who thought we offended and those who sought our downfall.”

“We were here in 2019 after the Supreme Court affirmed the mandate of the former governor, Gboyega Oyetola. I called for unity in the party. I warned that disunity will not produce any good result. But devil didn’t allow them (those who handled the party affairs) to listen.

“We seek forgiveness from those who are smearing our image, though we never offended them.

“We supported them with all I have to see to their success. I didn’t ask for anything from them. I need to emphasize that I didn’t ask for anything from them. But they chose to repay evil for good.

“However, we are here for the restructuring of the party. That is why we are begging anybody that feels that we offended him or her to forgive us.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, on Friday, had a meeting behind closed doors with governors of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

President Tinubu, in a Facebook post, posted about the meeting with the governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Today, I had the delight of welcoming distinguished Governors from our great party, the APC, to the State House.

“Together, we reaffirmed our commitment and united efforts in realizing our cherished vision for Nigeria. With every hand on deck, We are resolute in our pursuit of a prosperous nation.” the post says.

The governors were led to the State House by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, who recently assumed the role of Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, PGF.

Seventeen of the twenty APC governors were in attendance. However, conspicuously absent from the meeting were Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji of Ekiti State and Dr Nasir Idris of Kebbi State.

By Muhammadu Sabiu
 
The Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party, and their presidential candidates’ requests for a live broadcast of the election petition proceedings in court have been declined by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.
 
On Monday, Justice Haruna Tsammani, the Tribunal’s head, denied the request for live coverage of the court proceedings, adding that the request lacked merit.
 
The All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu, won the presidential election on February 25.
 
Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s candidate for president, submitted a request on May 8 for live coverage of the court proceedings in his case.
 
Peter Obi, who was also running for president in the election, had also submitted a request for a live broadcast of the court hearings related to the election petition.
 

By Mukhtar Jarmajo

In a democratic system, individuals have the right to associate with any political party of their choice. This right is enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, and it guarantees the freedom of political association to every citizen of the country.

Recently, there have been efforts to call back Halliru Dauda Jika, a former member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi state, who left the party to pitch his tent with the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) ahead of the 2023 general elections. Reliable sources close to Jika said he decamped from the APC because he felt he deserved the party’s governorship ticket, having funded the party since 2019.

However, it should be noted that the call-back efforts are unnecessary and uncalled for since the person in question has the constitutional right to be in any political party he so desires. Jika has the right to leave the APC and join another party, just as he now has the right to rejoin the party as an ordinary member.

It is crucial to understand that political parties are voluntary associations individuals join based on their beliefs, ideologies, and interests. Therefore, deciding to join or leave a political party is a personal choice everyone should respect.

The call-back movement seems driven by people who were likely his supporters while in the APC. However, if these people genuinely believe in the ideology of the APC, then they should work towards strengthening the party by promoting its values and ideals.

All should respect the constitutional right to political association, and call-back movements should cease, especially when they are unnecessary and uncalled for. Instead, political parties should focus on strengthening their values and ideals, and individuals should be free to join or leave any party without fear of persecution or intimidation.

Jarmajo wrote from Wuse Zone 2, Abuja. 

By Group Captain Sadeeq Garba Shehu (rtd.)

When new executives with a change mandate take over an organisation, they typically invest time in reshaping its strategy and determining the kind of culture needed to succeed. Those choices guide other decisions, including who their senior managers will be and how the leaders will allocate their time. Sadly many neglect the key factor that will help determine their effectiveness: the administrative system that guides day-to-day operations in their offices. This system ensures that leaders make the most of their limited time, that information arrives at the right point in their decision-making process, and that follow-up happens without their having to check. Many new executives default to the system they’ve inherited. Often there’s a better way to handle the information flow necessary for a President to succeed—and very often, a chief of staff (CoS) can play an essential role.

The CoS to the President is a political appointee of the president who does not require Senate confirmation and who serves at the pleasure of the President. While not a legally required role, Since President Obasanjo, all Nigerian civilian presidents have appointed a chief of staff. President Obasanjo had Gen Abdullahi Mohammed, while President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had Gbolade Osinowo. The position was temporarily absent between 18 September 2008 – 17 May 2010 when President Yaradua sacked Osinowo and never appointed a replacement. President Goodluck Jonathan had Mike Oghiadomhe and Jones Arogbofa. President Muhammadu Buhari had the late Abba Kyari, and after his demise, the current CoS Prof Ibrahim Gambari. The position of CoS to the President is widely recognised as one of great power and influence, owing to daily contact with the President and control of the Office of the President. Almost all, if not all, governors in Nigeria now have a Chief of Staff, and many ministers have them.    

The CoS role originated in the military and dated back centuries. Cicero, the Roman politician and orator, used a slave named Tiro, who, according to Cicero’s biographer Zach Bankston, served as a secretary, a financial overseer, and a political strategist. Andrew Roberts’s Napoleon: A Life describes the vital role that Louis-Alexandre Berthier played in assisting Napoleon at the height of his powers. The historians Ron Chernow and Joseph Ellis have described the CoS–like a role that Alexander Hamilton played for George Washington. These people aren’t to be confused with the personal secretaries or aides-de-camp that each leader also had. Rather, they were close advisers who handled the most-delicate strategic matters and became trusted confidants. While the Chief of staff is a role that started in the military, and now, we can see it in most industries and sectors.

WHAT DOES A CHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE PRESIDENT DO? 

While there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to describing the duties of a CoS in Nigeria, and each incumbent had wielded / not wielded power according to his personality and the relationship he has with his principal, the President, or the style of the President, their primary duties are making time, information, and decision-making for Mr President more effective. In other words, a CoS to Presidents helps Presidents become the best version of themselves.

The role of the chief of staff is not about dealing with administrative tasks only as he is not a PA. A CoS does not manage the President’s day-to-day schedule. The chief of staff is a leader. He/she makes high-level decisions, strategizes processes, and sets policies by devising meaningful plans and generating useful ideas, anticipating problems, and coming up with new solutions.

Paraphrasing Patrick Aylward, who breaks down the job of any CoS into five categories, I would say the job of the CoS to the President can be summed up as:

1. An air traffic controller for the President and his cabinet controlling the flow of people into the President’s office. 

2. An integrator connecting MDAs’ work streams that would otherwise remain siloed, breeding inter-ministerial/inter-agency squabbles, duplication, overlap and fragmentation.

3. A communicator linking the Presidency team and the broader FG apparatus. 

4. An honest broker and truth-teller when the President needs a wide-ranging view without turf/mandate considerations.

5. A confidant without an organisational or personal agenda-His agenda being only that of Mr President.

An effective and successful CoS to the President should be able to translate the above five categories can be translated into tasks and duties.

REQUIREMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL CoS: SKILLS AND PERSONAL QUALITIES 

The main responsibility of CoS is to help the President stay organised, which will allow him to give time to more important A items. This requires a good understanding of the business of government, effective communication skills, and the ability to manage projects and relationships. It also requires the skill to anticipate and avoid problems, add value to the President’s vision, and be intelligent on the organisational and political levels. The CoS must be excellent in the management of important projects. The ability to simplify complicated tasks, strategic thinking and problem analysis is one of their strongest suits, and they should know how to see things through, from idea to execution, even when the President himself forgets.

The best skill one would have for any position is being effective in getting the right things done. In his book The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker argues that effectiveness derives from a set of five practices anyone can learn: managing time; focusing on results (what to contribute to an organisation); building on strengths; concentrating on top priorities; and making effective decisions. Experts are agreed that the above five skills or practices are extremely useful when it comes to the chief of staff position.

Managing time: When it comes to time, presidents find it challenging to have enough of their time at their disposal and available for important matters, which do make a difference. They can get easily distracted, and leaving little time to focus on strategy is usually the outcome. A good chief of staff helps presidents record, manage, and consolidate time and reallocating time through doing, delegating, and deferring non-urgent tasks and cuts unproductive demands on time. CoS helps diagnose time wastage (e.g., excess of meetings) and communicates where the President’s time should be spent to key stakeholders.

Focusing on results: Most executives focus on efforts rather than results.. An excellent CoS redirects the President’s attention towards contribution by focusing on direct results, building values, and developing people.

Building on strengths: Presidents might not be fully aware of all the available strength points (the strengths of associates, the strengths of individual ministers and cabinet members, and even the President’s own strengths). Excellent CoS helps the President conduct strength assessments to fully comprehend the team’s strengths and how to manage them best. CoS can help redesign jobs to attract and scout the right people and talents, recognise those with weak performances, especially managers, and initiate action plans.  

Concentrating on top priorities: The need to prioritise and focus on major opportunities is the very core of a President’s job. This is what delivers results. Successful Presidents need to eliminate anything that is not worth doing and concentrate on the tasks that, if done perfectly, will make a difference. A successful CoS prepares and facilitates strategic planning processes and encourages the President to drop processes before they begin to decline. CoS leads or co-leads strategic initiatives and aims for what makes a difference rather than what is easy and safe to do.

Reaching effective decisions: With the chief of staff handling a considerable number of tasks, the President will have more time to think through big decisions, with the CoS serving as a reliable sounding board by testing opinions against facts. Without the help of a quality CoS, the President may make rash decisions, will not study the consequences of a decision before making one, and may be indecisive most of the time. An effective CoS gathers different teams’ perspectives to help Mr President understand the implications and helps direct the President to make decisions only when there is a disagreement, test opinions against facts, and compare the effort done and the risk of not taking action versus taking action.

Managing Meetings: Holding meetings is an integral part of the chief of staff’s responsibilities. Meetings represent a great demand on the President’s time, and the role of the chief of staff is to help the President never allow meetings to become the main demand on his time. To effectively manage meetings is a crucial part of the role of a chief of staff, as this chief of staff must not only manage the meeting but the people, agenda, objective, goal, strategies, and measures. To do this, the CoS must ensure all relevant MDA representatives are in the room, at the table, and participating while ensuring that meetings are designed to move the business forward with timed actions against goals. So, effectively managing team meetings is an important job requirement for the role. 

The most sophisticated chiefs of staff also assist the President in thinking through and setting policies—and making sure they are implemented. They anticipate problems and are especially sensitive to issues that require diplomacy. They function as extra eyes and ears by pointing out political potholes their bosses may not recognise (especially if the bosses are new to the company). Importantly, a CoS acts with the implicit imprimatur of the President—something that calls for humility, maturity, and situational sensitivity.

Regardless of specific responsibilities, a CoS can help a leader achieve sharp gains in productivity and impact. The CEO to the President helps the leader become better organised, with more time for A items; Manages important projects well; Helps President and his Cabinet navigate through uncertainty and risk. Required capabilities include: Can do project management, Can manage relationships, Communicating well, Organising the President’s office, Can simplify complexity, Does strategic thinking and problem analysis, Can manage the process of idea to execution, Can anticipate and avert problems, Can grasp and adding value to the president’s vision, Has organisational and political intelligence, ability to research on a full range of topics. A good CoS knows which relationships are most important to the leader’s agenda. Being organised and disciplined, showing attention to detail, and following up doggedly to ensure the right results. Ability to see what pressures the leader faces in pushing for changes and to find ways to lessen them. Finally, communication skills are crucial because the CoS must help refine the leader’s message and ensure that it is understood by the right audiences. 

WHAT KIND OF CoS SHOULD THE PRESIDENT-ELECT LOOK FOR? 

So far in the CoS role , we have seen Gen Abdullahi Mohammed (OBJ), Gbolade Osinowo (Yaradua) Mike Oghiadomhe and Jones Arogbofa (GEJ) , Abba Kyari and Prof Ibrahim Gambari (PMB) , each with his different style , the powers he wielded , and based on the style of his Principal . With respect, the most enduring name, for good or bad (depending on who you ask) is that of late Abba Kyari. Many agree there were fewer inter-ministerial squabbles and less confusion in the Presidency when Kyari was around. He left a legacy and a reputation of a rigid gate-keeper for PMB, qualities that several analysts believe are required of a CoS to the President. During the last days of his presidency, Barack Obama observed: ‘One of the things I’ve learned is that the big breakthroughs are typically the result of a lot of grunt work—just a whole lot of blocking and tackling.’ Grunt work is what chiefs of staff do.” Richard Nixon’s first chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman, garnered a reputation in Washington for the iron hand he wielded in the position—famously referring to himself as “the president’s son-of-a-bitch”, he was a rigid gatekeeper who would frequently meet with administration officials in place of the president, and then report himself to Nixon on the officials’ talking points.

Everyone requires help to achieve his or her highest potential and to sustain the effort it takes to lead a complex organisation. The right chief of staff can be an important source of assistance to leaders who are pushing their organisations and themselves to ever better performance. President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in looking for a CoS, should look for all the qualities enumerated here but in addition, look for that person that also has the capacity and personality to be a rigid gatekeeper and, like Nixon’s CoS Haldeman and PMB’s CoS late Abba Kyari be “the president’s son-of-a-bitch”. But to be an effective CoS, the President must also empower the CoS. Both Nixon’s Haldeman and PMB’s Kyari have empowered CoS.

Group Captain Sadeeq Garba Shehu (rtd.) is a Private Security Consultant and member APC PCC Security Committee.

By Mukhtar Jarmajo

Sir, you are aware that the 2023 general elections have come and gone and the dust it has raised in the Bauchi State All Progressives Congress (APC) is yet to settle. Also given that you are one of the prominent leaders of the party who definitely call the shots, most of the issues at hand clearly have your name, among others, written on them. It is therefore only right that you open up and clear the air on the grey areas where you are alleged to have worked in different dimensions with your party. This is important not only because it will help in making sure that your statesmanship and gentlemanly statue remain intact, but also because it will see to it that posterity remembers you as a true party man. 

Honorable minister, it is alleged that you did not support the APC governorship candidate in Bauchi State, retired Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar in the just concluded general elections. It is also alleged that you did not support him because of the following reasons: 1. If the APC in Bauchi State gets a governor, you will seize to be the party leader in the state. You are therefore comfortable with the present arrangement; 2. If he becomes governor, Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar may not be submissive to you unlike the present governor who you are alleged to have been working together with; and 3. The Katagum factor. 

While it is very difficult to believe all these allegations because of your known principles of altruism, you will do a great deal of service to your political party, the APC, if you clear the air especially when certain reasons are used to back the allegations. They are: 1. Throughout the campaign period, you did not attend any of the party’s rallies in Bauchi State; 2. The Bauchi State APC Chairman, who allegedly was brought by you from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has also not been on ground to discharge his responsibilities. It was alleged that you were together in Abuja; 3. In contravention to the agreement that a state governorship aspirant was to coordinate the APC Presidential Campaign Council in his state, you allegedly worked day and night to replace Air Marshall Sadique Baba Abubakar with your friend; and 4. It is not yet clear whether or not you were in Azare, your home town, both during the presidential and governorship elections to vote.

With all these at hand, it is alleged that Mallam Adamu Adamu, the Honorable Minister of Education in an APC led administration worked hard to ensure that the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu lost Bauchi to PDP’s Atiku Abubakar. Similarly, you allegedly worked to ensure that most of those who vied positions to the national assembly in Bauchi State did not win. Certainly, this scenario is difficult to understand just as the entire picture is hardly legible. But you are in the best position to clear the air. 

Jarmajo wrote from Kukadi/Gundari Ward, Misau Local Government.