Shekarau and  2007 Election

By

Kabiru Inuwa

tsakuwa2000@yahoo.com

 

 

Since the death of the ill-conceived idea of Tazarce (third term) for the non-performing, PDP federal government, political activities in various part of the country have picked up tremendously. Everywhere you look is posters of aspirants into one position authority or the other. While some aspirant are serious contenders and have everything going for them; others are just pretenders who are most likely going to step-down after a negotiated settlements at the end of various party’s convention. Such aspirant are merely angling for a level playing ground where they can effectively negotiates for the position of Ministers, Ambassadors, head of parastatals and Commissioners as the case may be from a position of strength.

 

No where is the polity so charged up like Kano State, the hot bed of radical political fundamentalism where almost every body from truck pushers, House wives to highly educated technocrats are ever conscious about the political brouhaha going on around their environments. The political awareness of an average kano resident has reached a stage where he can comfortably sat-down and tutor a holder of political science the nitty-gritty of political arithmetics; thank to the pioneering efforts of the highly revered late sage, Mallam Aminu kano of blessed memory who laid the solid foundation for the emancipation of the down trodden masses.

 

The general belief among the people is that no incumbent Governor ever ruled Kano twice right from the second republic up to the forth republic. But barring any unforeseen circumstance and considering the way he has so far handled various interest group, it is most likely that Mallam Shekarau may break the jinx to stage a triumphant come back to the coveted seat of governance at the Africa house. Many factors are going positively for Mallam to shattered the long held myth. Despite maneuvers and manipulation by the opposition parties to turn the electorates against Mallam with a view to reducing his popularity prior to the year 2007 election, he remained popular and appreciated for his characteristic humble mien, focus and principle determination to deliver quality democracy dividends.

If we situate the condition of the former executive Governors at the end of their terms of office, vis-ŕ-vis their acceptability to the electorates, we can readily discover that, their chance of making a return to the seat of power was very slim indeed because their popularity rating nose-dived drastically partly due a combination of many negative factors.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the former Governor of Kano state, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Rimi has performed creditably well to merit a second term, but for his failure to carry along all the stake holders in the scheme of things. During the course of his administration he fought with the mighty federal government and the revered Kano emirate council, who are a strong factor in the emergence of any governor in the state. Governor Rimi tried to portray the emirate council as retrogressive, reactionary and conservative non-performers who more often than not reaping where they did not sawn. His decamping from PRP to NPP of late Dr. Nnamdi azikiwe coupled with the way he handled his differences with late Mallam Aminu Kano and his habitual use of derogatory terms, and gutter language against the opposition elements and elders, strongly militated against his second coming despite his well recorded achievements that are still standing like the rock of Gibraltar (DUTSEN DALA).

 

Coming back to the former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, I believed that all the events that lead to his rejection by the shrewd Kano electorates are vividly clear and fresh in the mind of the people to warrant a repetition here. Suffice it to state that, he was at logger head with virtually everybody including his party faithfuls, civil servants, the pensioners, the emirate council, the ulamas and shari’a proponents.kwankwaso’s administration enthroned a reign of vagabonds, thuggery and brigandage, over inflation of contracts, shoddy execution of projects of which, the Olusegun Obasanjo/Ajasa link Road is a typical example. During his tenure, peace was regretfully murdered and a reign of terror held sway.kano was converted to a police state, especially on Friday during weekly Jumu’at prayer whereby every mosque is surrounded by stern looking policemen. He completely disregarded the principle of the rule of law and was impervious to constructive critism. Such was the pathetic situation until the year 2003 election took place and Kano people mercifully booted him out.

 

Moreover, the internal squabbles and divisive tendencies of the PDP adherents with over ten (10) gubernatorial aspirants as well as lack of proper guidelines on how to grab power in 2007 election may also favour Mallam Shekarau adequately. Already all the founding fathers of PDP have left the party in protest against the high handedness of the party’s leadership at the center and the overbearing dominance of the former governor, who arrogated to himself the power to control PDP like his personal fiefdom.

 

The 2003 election in which kwankwaso lost to the incumbent Governor follows a pattern of silent agitation. Civil servant expressed their displeasures over the way and manner some of their colleagues were demoted to the lower cadre after putting most of their youthful productive age to the service of Kano state. This popular discontent and agitation grew to include the pensioners whose entitlement was unjustly denied which compelled them to resorted to prayer (Al-qanut); after undergoing serious hardship in the hand of the PDP government. The phenomenon of stone throwing which was stated during the infamous administration of architect Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, consequently assumed a new frightening dimension.

 

Mallam is contrary to all that kwankwaso represented. He has the requisite human sympathy that enabled him to appreciate the dignity of humanity. That is why his coming into the scene was viewed by many as a culmination of silent prayers. It ushered in a new dawn, a new reality, and a new approach to Governance. For the first time, in history, everybody is carried along, from the civil servants to the truck pushers, from our revered Ulamas to the technocrats. Pensioners are adequately rehabilitated, contracts executed to engineering specification, no shoddy deals, and shari’a is being faithfully implemented much to our admiration. There is no ill feeling or hatred against anybody. Mallam has succeeded in changing the hyper-reactive nature of an average KANO CITEZEN into that of love and peaceful coexistence with fellow human beings. In short, He has triumphed were others have woefully failed.

 

The employment of over 30,000 workers, at a time when both federal and private companies are busy retrenching coupled with the construction of a multi million naira brand new water works at tamburawa village, the empowerment of so many people through human developments initiatives and his respect for the revered Emir of kano in addition to his total submission to the will of Almighty Allah (SWT) are some of the positive factors that will hopely convince the electorates to return Mallam back to the seat of Governance for the second term comes year 2007 insha Allah. Allah ya maimaitamana.

 

Kabiru Inuwa

No.1099, Adamawa plaza (4th floor)

Abuja.