The Odds Against Kano PDP

As the year 2007 steadily approaches, the political temperature of the country has intensified significantly beyond crescendo. Political parties are engrossed in one activity or the other in order to confront the mother of all political battles of 2007.The drama and intrigues at the nation’s administrative capital involving Mr. President and his deputy, coupled with the uncertainty and lackadaisical preparation of the not so independent electoral body; are all parts of the struggle by the ruling PDP to remain relevant in the nation’s political firmament.

 

Nigerians chooses democracy in order to have a clean break from the many years of military dictatorship; massive corruptions and decay in the quality of their life. But such high hope and expectations were regretfully dashed. Instead of quality democracy dividends Nigerian continue to wallow in abject poverty, unemployment, high-profile political assassination, and general insecurity of life and properties. Never in the history of Nigeria had such incompetence, insensitivity and broad day light manipulation of ethnic and religious difference taken to national prominence. Never in recorded history has Nigerians suffered collective miseries in the midst of abundance!

 

Such glaring failures were the reasons for the massive rejection of the party in 2003, were it not for the awesome deployment of an intimidating state power. But while the party at the center is most likely going to adopt the same strategy to achieved success by all means in 2007, Kano PDP did not have such vital luxury. In fact, for the first time in history, it will contest election from a very disadvantage position, having satisfied itself that, money plus incumbency and a large dose of thuggery are the only determining factors in winning elections any day.

 

The ANPP ruling party had already made it abundantly clear that, there will be no vacancy at the Africa house in 2007. Already preparations are in top gear toward achieving the above stated goal. But can that be possible given the un-predictable nature of Kano politics? History is replete with instances were at the nick of time the political equations changed to a different scenario. The election of Architect Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya of the NRC is a clear example. Furthermore, can Kano PDP re-capture power considering its inglorious past? Can it convince the electorates that, post 2007 governance will totally be different from the previous one considering the fact that, the party has not yet purge out bad eggs and political jobbers in its midst who are waiting for an opportunity to revert to the status quo ante? Can it perform any miracle in 2007 given the fact that, it is a party made up of strange bed fellows united only by their common desire to loot the treasury (GANIMA)? Can PDP posed any significant threat to the ruling ANPP given the fact that, it is a collection of a bunch people desperate for power? These are some of the pertinent questions that are yearning for answers!

Since 2003, PDP has not been able to come to term with the reality that happened to it. But of what used is it crying over spilt milk? The earlier PDP realized that, power and authority belong to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala), and he gives it to whosoever he wish and collect from whosoever with out qualms the better. In its desperation however, PDP resorted to malicious vilification, character assassination, outright concoction of lies, libelous slander and rumours mongering against the power that be, in order to make Kano un- governable which may result in chaos that will pave the way for the imposition of emergency rule. Throughout the thirty six state of the federation of Nigeria, only Kano state under Mallam Shekarau, can tolerate such brazen display of antagonism, naked hatred and baseless propaganda without taken concrete action to deal with situation appropriately.

In its characteristic nature, as a party with a collection of people given to perfidy, it still nurses a thinly veiled desire to take over power; after all the negative experimentations, geared towards causing chaos and commotion among the peace loving kanawas, failed to achieve the desired target. But PDP should know that, Kano people are not fools, neither were they docile when it comes to asserting their right. Their minds are fresher and can recollect clearly and vividly the atrocities it committed from 1999 to May 28 2003 (Idan Maye Ya Manta, Uwar ‘da Bata Manta ba!).I believed that, a brief but by no-means exhaustive re-collections of such atrocities will sufficed to notify the PDP that, it is embarking on a failed venture in 2007 in sha Allah.

 

Among the many factors that will  militates against the PDP is the issue of its greatest mentor, the alpha and omega of its soul whose inordinate ambition to dominates the party has led to so much internal wrangling which lead  to mass exodus by party faithful including the top echelon of  party’s leadership hierarchy. His desire to nominate only his loyalist into all the contestable positions for the up-coming election had in- advertentely caused dis-unity and intra-party squabbles. This no doubt will not augur well for the much needed success for the party.

Kano people will not forget easily the implementation of an obnoxious policy that carried them back to pre-independence era, an ill-conceived policy that led to the outright sacking of both medical and teaching staffs simply because they happen to be borne outside the border of the state. This policy no doubt caused massive retrogression in the medical and educational development of Kano. It never mattered to the PDP that, these noble professions which took a generation to developed are so valuable that, no nation however developed can afford to loose, it never occurred to them that, this so-called non-indigenes carried more than sixty percent (60%) of the responsibility for taking Kano state to an enviable position as a state with the greatest number of Medical Doctors, Engineers and Pharmacist in the whole of Northern Nigeria today! That this policy had created a huge vacuum that will take another generation to fill is not in doubt, for Up to this day, many people have failed to fathom the reason for this very bad idea whether it was deliberately designed to truncate the progress of the state? Whether it was a result of lack of foresight, no body has a ready answer?

 

PDP had to contend with the fact that, Kano people will neither forget in a hurry, the many mistakes it committed which includes: the complete suppression of press Freedom, infringement on their fundamental freedom of association, complete denigration and destabilizations of the state civil service, high handedness, corruption, embezzlement of poor students bursary and ecological funds, arbitrary dismissal of staffs on flimsy excuses, embergo on employment and freezing of normal promotion. Nor will they forget the ill treatments mated against pensioners many of whom have already gone to the great beyond (May their souls rest in perfect peace).

 

Through out the tenure of the PDP it did not deemed it appropriate to carry alone the non-indigenes of the state in the spread of democracy dividends and policy formulations that has direct bearing on their well being; instead, it inundated them with false promises which is partly the reason for their new found enthusiasms about the ruling ANPP government. The ruling party as everyone with knowledge of Kano politics knew, saw a golden opportunity to get the supports of the non-indigenes by rehabilitating most of their hitherto dilapidated infrastructures and of recent it has gone to another length of given some of their members political appointments. This clearly gives them a new sense of belonging and for the ANPP a weapon to garner more valuable and crucial votes in 2007.

 

In the political permutation of Kano, several factors came into promince.Apart from the political gladiators who are already strategizing and fine-tuning their plan for the 2007 election using other platforms, there is the vibrant ulamas with their teeming supporters who will most likely votes for ANPP for the sake of continuity of societal re-orientation (Adaidaita sahu) and other shari’a supports programs. The women groups with their numerical advantages are also most likely going to follow suit to ensure the survival of the current free health care programs. No politician worth his salt can forget the youth with their expendable energy who will nevertheless, not forget the over Nine thousand(9000) strong hisba guards employed to ensure compliance with the tenets of shari’a to even contemplate ditching the ANPP and last but clearly not the list are the civil servants who constituted the bulk of returning officers in any election. It will be foolhardy to think that, Kano state civil servants will forget about the traumatic experience it suffered in the hand of the PDP, and even for the sake of self- preservations and Manna they now proudly and deservedly enjoy, E.g. (Ramadan and Rago Bonus), there is an absolute guarantee that come rain, come thunder, they will do everything possible to make sure that no vacancy exist in 2007.

 

In the count down to the crucial 2007 election, no body knows the ideology/principle upon which PDP wanted to mobilize the electorates to its advantage. while the first republic politicians based their ideology upon mass participation and emancipation from feudal subjugation, the second republic ideology of redemption enabled PRP of Late Mallam Aminu Kano to defeated the ruling NPN in kano and kaduna.In addition, the ruling ANPP had based its ideology on the principle of complete reversal to the pristine purity of Islamic Shari’a, and is now hoping to use massive grass root appeal and general acceptability of the incumbent governor for the new daunting task ahead.

 

PDP clearly has an up-hill task ahead of 2007.Because apart from the apparent lack of unity that may mar its ability to nominate a consensus candidate for the gubernatorial ticket; there is also the threat of the ACD whose leaders are well known political tacticians with an un-canny ability to mobilize the masses to their advantage. In ACD, PDP will definitely face a challenge so insurmountable that it will be easier to for it to squeeze water out of Stone, or passed a camel through a proverbial needle.

 

2007 election no doubt proved to be both interesting and un-predictable. The recent foray of the ACD into the murky water of Kano Politics will certainly add a new dimension in the struggle for the Africa house. But one thing that is certain is that, for the first time, there will be politics of issues, politics of ideas and progress, different from the crude, unembellished and stone-age methods of the PDP.Because in the personality of Alhaji Rimi, the ACD has a thoroughbred intellectual and progressive to the core, while in Ghali Na abba, the party has a Fighter (Lion) whose principle stands on National issues are legendary. This attributes combined with the honesty, prudence and acceptability of Mallam Of the ruling ANPP  will combined to deal a deadly blow to  the stubborn and domineering character of the “Kowa yaa-bi” Fame. That PDP will face a brick wall so hard to crack in 2007 is not an understatement, but a fact that will insha Allah comes to passed

 

Nevertheless, in its characteristic incurable optimism in the face of a hopeless situation, and conforming to its Motto of Peoples deceiving Peoples, PDP can still continue to spread lies and half truth taking advantage of the un-usual press freedom ahead of the 2007 election; with the sole purpose of tarnishing the image and good refutations of the incurably tolerant ANPP government, under the able leadership of my teacher/Principal, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau; perchance it may regain its much battered image that will enable it to make an insignificant head way in 2007 election. Good Luck.

 

By: Kabiru Inuwa

Lugbe Village Abuja.