APC

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

The 2023 presidential elections will present to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a golden opportunity to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). However, the greatest challenge facing the PDP is how to utilize this opportunity seamlessly by presenting a candidate that can secure for the party sufficient votes throughout the country.  

Today, all indices indicate that the APC’s presidential candidate may come from the southwest. Since 2015, APC’s trump cards have been the north and the southwest. However, the north may be APC’s biggest dilemma in 2023- the party has to appease the north while striking a balance on Nigeria’s complexities- this is where the PDP can take advantage if it plays its own cards very well.

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and Governor Bala Mohammed, all presidential aspirants on the PDP platform, have kick-started a move for the PDP to present a consensus candidate for the 2023 presidential elections. Saraki said the reason they were pushing for a consensus candidate was to reduce the likely rancour in the process of choosing the party’s flag bearer. Apart from having a rancour-free process, a consensus candidate will give the PDP an opportunity to pull resources together for a common goal. Furthermore, the party will have ample time to campaign for the general elections, as it has eliminated the long and tedious campaign for the primaries.

The big question is, who is PDP’s ideal consensus candidate among all the aspirants? The person should be someone who is well-known, have a network and connection, and is sellable across the country.

As a matter of real politics, the PDP may consider a one bloc vote. That is the Buhari cult-like followers, who, as of now, have undecided votes. The PDP can win the vote of that bloc vote and combine it with its own traditional votes by presenting someone different from Buhari but acceptable to Buhari’s cult-like followers. In addition, a consensus candidate should be someone who knows the Nigerian political terrain –and is acceptable to the common people- someone who Nigerians see as capable of tackling the current problems in the country.

If the PDP agrees to go for a consensus candidate- the party should do this based on certain logic. Firstly, the PDP should analyze the North and Southwest- two parts of the country with the highest number of voters- to define which of them will give the party some cutting-edge advantage. The party should then present a candidate that can bring the votes from that region.

Secondly, as the APC is looking southwest, the PDP should analyze the entire south and do its arithmetic with an open heart on just how to win the election.

Thirdly, PDP’s ideal consensus candidate should be chosen relative to the APC’s likely presidential candidate. It should be someone from the PDP ranks who has the clout, the political structure, the war chest, and the human resources to face any candidate from the APC.

An open discussion among the PDP presidential aspirants can produce good results for the consensus candidate. Though some of the aspirants will fizzle out from the race if the party does not use a zoning formula because their aspirations are based on permutations that the ticket is zoned to a particular section of the country.

Consensus is good for an opposition political party with an opportunity to get power. But some observers are of the view that a primary election will eliminate any hassle for the good candidate- as he may be tied down with many demands from other aspirants and interests.

If the call for a PDP consensus presidential candidate by Bukola Saraki, Governor Tambuwal, and Governor Bala is without any ulterior motive, it will be a welcome and excellent idea for the PDP. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said, all the presidential aspirants don’t have issues with each other, once they sit down in a room, they will select the best candidate among themselves. Most political observers said Atiku made the statement because he is fully aware that, as of today, all the odds are in his favour – either consensus or primary election.

 Zayyad I. Muhammad writes Abuja via zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Jack Rich Northern Front has distributed Ramadam items comprising rice, sugar, and millet, among others, to widows, orphans and the less privileged in Kaduna state. The distribution took place at the Kawo LEA primary school premises with the beneficiaries in attendance.

Speaking at the event, the Front coordinator, Dr Ibrahim Abdulkareem, said the initiative was necessitated by the neglect and abandonment being suffered by widows, orphans and the less privileged in society, especially during the month of Ramadan.

 One of the beneficiaries, a mother of three who lost her husband two years ago, Malama Halima Mukhtar, expressed gratitude for the gesture and called on well-meaning people to pray for the success of the Fronts’s activities.

The organization has given similar assistance as its Ramadan welfare package to other orphans across some states in northern Nigeria.

By Mohammed Baba Goro

God knows how hard I’ve been suppressing this uncontrollable urge to write about the damning insecurity, especially that of the bandits. Yes, our hues and heys do not matter, but the sigh that comes with someone pouring the biting grief of his heart out is a relief! Again, I wouldn’t want to get emotional in doing that, but the situation of insecurity is enough to cause any well-meaning leader to lose sleep.

I felt cold when all northern leaders could give President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) during the convention as pass mark was hearty cheers, especially the remarks by the Senate President and Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State. The governor just lost over 60 vigilantes in one ambush, alongside police officers and a DPO. Yet, it all sounded like all was well with the North and the country.

The economy, insecurity, and corruption are the hallmarks promises of this administration, yet these are the areas the regime has failed the most. Even when you try to tinker with them because of some sparsely built infrastructures – though this is typical of every administration; the high economic numbers that have dragged more people into poverty keep staring at you in the face to have a second thought.

The recent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train reaffirms that we don’t learn a lesson. The government is inactive, and this is an outright failure of leadership that has deserted the masses on the mercies of the Almighty.

All these tell us that, on the one hand, there is a disconnection between what those in the president’s echo chamber tell him and the reality the masses face. And on the other hand, the executive inaction of its leaders. If not, their remarks to Mr President at the convention shouldn’t have been praises alone but a mixture of some honest and collective concerns about the bleeding North and the urgent need to get to grips with it. 

I hope and pray Mr President will write his name in gold, at least for his last days in office, to exterminate these destructive elements and redeem the promise of peace and security he made amidst tears to his Northern kith and kins, and for him to have a befitting retirement.

Mohammed Baba Goro writes from Mokwa in Niger State. He can be reached at: mohammedbabagoro3@gmail.com.

By Safiyanu Ladan

While speaking on Channels TV program Politics Today, the governor of Kaduna state, Malam Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufa’i, said he’s currently not vying for any office come 2023. The governor, whose tenure is elapsing in the next fourteen months, insisted that he’s not interested in any political position.

“I have said it over and over, but I guess the trust in politicians is very low. Nobody believes me. I have said over and over that, I’m not a contestant for any office. I’m not an aspirant for anything,” he said.

“Rotimi Amaechi is interested in running for president. He has the right to do so, but I’m not running for anything. I’m not going to be on his ticket.”

He gave an impression that he had never wanted to run for the office of the governor of Kaduna state in 2015, but President Buhari prevailed over him. Because he has so much respect for the President, he reluctantly accepted to run.

The essence of being in politics is to have political ambition, which includes aspiring for a higher political position. Political ambition dictates the activities of every politician and can go to any extent in fulfilling their aspirations.

Yet, Mr El-Rufa’i remains the only politician in the history of this country without any political ambition that came out on national TV endorsing the removal of the National Chairman of the APC caretaker committee. Therefore, one can’t help but ask what the governor’s motive is?

It’s high time for this politician to stop deceiving us. We already know that the ambition of every politician is fixed and well defined. It’s nothing other than being in a political position.

Safiyanu Ladan wrote from Kaduna. He can be reached via uncledoctor24@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Sabiu

After a medical check-up in London, President Muhammadu Buhari returned to Abuja on Friday.

The President was scheduled to leave for the medical trip from Nairobi, Kenya, after attending the UN Environment Programme at the age of 50, but he returned to Nigeria on March 4.

He met with Mai Mala Buni, the Interim National Chairman of the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee, amidst the party’s leadership tussle while in London.

At about 7.09 p.m., the presidential plane carrying Buhari landed at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

By Abu Hibbah Ibrahim

Typical of a penultimate election year, pictures and billboards of aspiring politicians have littered major and minor roads in Kaduna State. People who share in the leadership ideologies or principles of the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, have all started indicating interest to succeed him. Also, people who are at variance with all he stands for have likewise thrown their hats in the ring.

In his quiet moments and as he drives out of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House through the state metropolis, billboards of different politicians erected in strategic locations staring at him, only God knows what runs in El-Rufai’s mind regarding his successor in 2023. It seems William Shakespeare had El-Rufai in mind when he captured in Macbeth that: “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”

As El-Rufa’is second tenure nears its end, and after exhibiting a tremendous performance, the next most audacious and bold decision left for him is to anoint a successor, rally his supporters around him and subsequently aid him in attaining victory at the polls. Verily, this singular act will make or mar the sustainability of his hard-earned and stellar achievements. More reasons why el-Rufai should be meticulous.

To understand the importance of having a credible and competent successor, let’s cast back our minds to the second tenure of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. After failing to extend his tenure, the infamous third term, Obasanjo, imposed a sick president on the country. Unfortunately, this singular act almost erased the decent achievements he recorded in his second term.

Interestingly, during his interview with Seun of the Channels Tv last Wednesday, Governor el-Rufai made sketchy explanations on who will likely succeed him. He highlighted that he would want someone from his team with whom they have developed and implemented policies to take on the baton of leadership from him.

Being a youth myself, I have a bias for Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, popularly known as Dattijo, considering his age. Of course, age in itself isn’t a recipe for good governance or positive results, but young age coupled with competence, experience, the ability to form a capacitated team and then lead them to drive reforms and produce results would do magic. And Dattijo exudes these sterling qualities in addition to the advantage conferred on him by age.

Plus, he has exhibited these qualities and delivered outstanding results as the Commissioner of Planning and Budget Commission of Kaduna state and Chief of Staff to the Governor. Under the governor’s tutelage and with his experience as a commissioner, he has been armed with the ability to allocate resources amidst competing demands or interests for the betterment of the state. In addition, he chaired the Infrastructure Council, one of the policy councils initiated by el-Rufai to fast track soft and hard infrastructural developments.

Dattijo is a development practitioner trained in the University of Manchester and a graduate of Economics from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University. With dwindling federal allocations, effects of COVID-19, the possibility of subsidy removal on petrol, and security challenges, economic difficulties will be harder for the state governments. However, I believe his deep knowledge of economics will help him navigate the state through tough financial times. Consequently, he has the mettle to sustain the growth in revenue mobilisation that has characterised el-Rufai’s tenure.

El-Rufai has done remarkably well in revenue mobilisation. This terrific effort has pushed Kaduna above the commercial nerve of Northern Nigeria, Kano State, in terms of internally generated revenue (IGR). Moreover, he has consistently invested in education and health as these two sectors gallop the highest percentage of the state’s budget. And as one Indian writer posited, “nobody bothers about education because results take a long time to come.” But el-Rufai cares. This fantastic idea of investing in critical sectors, especially education and health, needs to be continued.

Temperament and intellect. Ever since Dattijo’s body language signifies an intent to be the governor of Kaduna State, he has been under scrutiny and verbal attacks by some political opponents or sycophants. This is expected in electioneering, though. However, he has demonstrated thoughtful calmness and grace under pressure. He is even-tempered and not given to volatile gestures. These virtues are pertinent in a governor who would want to continue leading the Kaduna state towards greatness by reducing or eliminating ethnic tensions and building bridges.

On a final note, the saying that power corrupts people is a tag sincere seekers of the truth, or any discerning person cannot place on Dattijo’s neck. In all the leadership positions he has been appointed into by his boss, el-Rufai, he has served the people of Kaduna with humility, loyalty and hard work.

I believe Dattijo has the moral compass to build on el-Rufai’s legacies. He is blessed with intellectual rigour and has the courage to make sound, careful and bold decisions that hold generational transformation. Dattijo has officially declared his intention to succeed his boss. Therefore, I beseech Governor el-Rufai to rally other APC aspirants to support him. He is prepared and ready.

Abu Hibbah Ibrahim writes from Kaduna and can be reached via hibbahabubakar1505@gmail.com

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

The debate on the legitimacy of  Dr Isah Ali Ibrahim Pantami’s professorship is back.  The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said that the professorial conferment on Pantami’s didn’t follow the laid-down procedures of the Nigerian university system.  Accordingly, the union directed all its members and branches throughout the country not to recognize, accord, or treat him as a professor of Cybersecurity under any guise.

On the other hand, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Owerri (FUTO), Prof. Nnenna Oti, has said that the management of FUTO will sue against ASUU’s rejection of Dr Pantami’s promotion to the rank as a professor of Cyber Security by his university. When asked to comment on the issue, Minister Pantami – said ‘No Comment, No Comment, No Comment’- the matter is in the court.

The 2023 election campaigns, horse-trading, politicking, and strategizing have begun. Thus, the debate on Pantami’s professorship will linger, especially in the political arenas, notwithstanding the litigation. How Pantami’s political handlers manage the issue will determine the direction and weight of the debate, including the political impact on him. In contrast, how FUTO’s lawyers handle the case will determine the future of Pantami’s professorship.

Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami – Honorable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, an Islamic Sheik, a UK-trained PhD holder,  has found himself in a triangular situation – a federal political appointee, an Islamic Sheik and an academic. This revered status means any issue that affects his personality will always be a hot one.  

Most of the people who criticized Pantami’s appointment as a Professor were academics. So, ASUU’s NEC stand is not a surprise. But, equally, the majority of those who supported the critics were Pantami’s political adversaries.  On the other hand, the supporters of Pantami’s professorship are academics who have soft spots for him, members of religious bodies, his students and his political friends,  and those who are sitting on the fence.

In retrospect, the FUTO chapter of ASUU had set up a five-person panel chaired by Prof. M. S. Nwakaudu, with members: G.A. Anyanwu, C. E. Orji, Mrs O.P. Onyewuchi; and T. I. N. Ezejiofor (Member/Secretary), which cleared the appointment and asserted that due process was followed, a verdict that gave Pantami and FUTO some respite. However, ASUU NEC has reversed the verdict, giving Pantami’s political opponents more strength to fire at him more.

Pantami’s political allies, supporters, and students will be prayerful for the courts of law to clear this issue once and for all. This is because to Pantami’s supporters, his professorship is a significant addition to his already ‘unmatched’ credentials in his own rights. Pantami’s supporters believe that he is young, highly educated with a PhD. from the United Kingdom (UK) at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. They argue that Pantami is a good material to balance a presidential ticket politically.

Moreover, Pantami is from northeast Nigeria and fits into the agitation for the northeast to present the vice-presidential candidate in 2023. He is a household name in the northwest. They will feel at home with him – he is their cousin. He is an Islamic scholar with immense, even cult-like, followership nationwide. Pantami is Buhari’s strong confidant and ally.

The general belief among Pantami’s promoters is; Pantami from the north-east as vice-presidential candidate with any presidential candidate from the south, especially the southwest, will balance a presidential ticket and serve as a strategy for the APC to retain the presidency in 2023. Nevertheless, opposition against Pantami’s professorship will continue to have a field-day, striking him. At the same time, his political rivals will clap for them as the nation awaits the courts’ verdicts on the Professorship.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja, 08036070980, zaymohd@yahoo.com

By Muhammad Sabiu

Reports coming from Gusau have it that Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, the state’s deputy governor, has been impeached by the Zamfara State House of Assembly.

The members ousted Mr Gusau from office on Wednesday during plenary after 20 out of 21 voted in favour of his removal.

Following the submission of a panel report by the state’s chief judge, Kulu Aliyu, to investigate alleged impeachable offences against the deputy governor, the parliamentarians quickly voted.

By Lawi Auwal Yusuf

So great are the expectations. Some people believe it to be long overdue, and others are immensely surprised. But, to those who understand, the Infallible Saints Party (as they call themselves) and its government are much to be anticipated. Probably, it seems like coming with strong whims of making a revolution.  

Is it a one change whirl like that championed by the ANC in South Africa under its propellant, Nelson Mandela? Or the CCP in China contrived by its mastermind, Mao Zedong or the PAP in Singapore with the engineering of its leading figure, Lee Kuan Yew? But, as the change charlatans are about to leave office, people have realized that their revolution is nothing but a trick, deception and betrayal. Thus, the malignant political parties of old crooks and the treacherous ISP of the self-righteous saints are but the two sides of a coin. 

As the stormy wind of politics swept across the country in 2015, people were in a dilemma because the incumbent party had taken the nation to the verge of absolute rot. Hence, it was necessary for a vibrant new captain to take over so as to save the capsizing ship on the muddy, turbulent and already disturbed ocean. ISP and its leading forces, the messiah, who promised a miraculous change, were our last hope for survival. Therefore, we undoubtedly reposed the trust, firmly believing that the mess would be cleared once and for all, come what may. 

For over a decade, people sacrificed their wealth, resources and lives for the success of the so-called “jagoran talakawa” (masses emancipator). Today, what is the gain earned? An excoriating economic hardship, an avoidable but seemingly inevitable mass killings and abductions. Sadly, he campaigned unwaveringly for the big office for more than a decade. However, he practically lacks any blueprint for the motherland’s development. 

They violated the faithful confidence and trust of compatriots for personal gain. It was a deliberate and calculated disregard for trust and faith, failing to understand that change requires tireless efforts, sacrifice and effective policies. 

Contrarily, the head of the government remains aloof. As a result, the government’s obsolete and unrealistic policies aggravate the people’s misery. They make life worse, more challenging and make the poor poorer. Moreover, they deepen the crises rather than resolve them. 

ISP has assured people that they are the masters of ineptitude and mediocrity by engaging dirty incapacitated politicians to do the job. This is why they are making the project uglier than ever before. 

The sanctimonious Mai Gaskiya (The Truthful One) and the die-hard cohorts of the ISP boastfully brag that the administration performs better than the preceding regimes since the inception of democracy. This is a gaffe and a baseless argument to fool the psych of those who are gullible. If the ISP believes this to be true, it’s a self-guile at its most deceitful form. This evidently shows that they are only specialized in the game of political wangling and finagling. Indeed, this is the worst government in the history of the modern motherland. And expecting them to do better is like kicking a dead horse.

On account of this, people are in deep regret as frustration is boldly written on their faces. This is the worst decision and mistake they have ever made. Consequently, they have fallen from the frying pan into the fire. 

At last,  they will leave next year as ones who promised a better life but made it more grievous. Those that vowed for a quintessential change instead come with an illusionary one. They can not save innocent souls being murdered in cold blood daily, ones who couldn’t save us from woes. Those saviours have turned into disappointment.  

Lawi Auwal Yusuf wrote from Kano, Nigeria, via laymaikanawa@gmail.com.

By Sumayyah Auwal Usman

Ahead of its national convention, youths of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the 19 northern states under the auspices of Concerned Northern APC Youth Forum has called for unity among members of the party for a hitch-free convention. 

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the Chairman, Concerned Northern APC Youth Forum (CNAYF), Hon. Suleiman Liba said, “the All Progressive Congress must stick to the plan and ensure we get it right through internal party democracy since true democratic tenets entail that a few may have their say, but the majority should have their way”.  

On the 2023 Presidential election, Hon. Liba said, “We must commend the readiness and resolved of the masses, especially within the Northern part of the country, to participate massively in the electioneering processes through to 2023”. 

According to the group, the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, stands as the worthy successor to President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023. They said, “the man’s antecedents of excellence speak volume, and his achievements in Ebonyi state are there for everyone to see”. 

“CNAYF further throws her weights behind the candidature of Engr David Nweze Umahi for President, as it reflects the wish of the people, especially from the North,” he said.