2007 Presidential Race:Of Jokers And Pretenders By Taninu Umar
In the rundown to the 1976 United States’ Presidential elections, the frontrunner and Democratic Party candidate, Jimmy Carter, was asked to comment on the threat posed by the other three contestants vying for American’s number one seat: Gerrard Ford, Senator Eugene McCarthy and Roger McBride. Carter’s response was legendary: He said he believed Gerrard Ford, of the Republican party, posed a huge challenge, but Eugene McCarthy (an independent candidate) and Roger McBride (of Libertarians) were “jokers and pretenders”. To prove his prophecy, Carter won the elections by polling 40,831,000 votes, with Ford coming a close second with 39,148,000 votes. McCarthy and McBride won 756,691 and 171,011 votes respectively.
The recent emergence of some ineptitude political lightweights into the 2007 Nigerian Presidential race made me to recall the above narrative. I wonder when the elusive office of Nigerian President becomes free-for-all so much so that every Tom, Dick and Harry, who has bought his way into a gubernatorial seat or some sycophant whose mouth has earned him dirty money and undue popularity, can stake a claim to.
The history of Nigerian democracy is replete with highly competent politicians who had set aglow the political scene while contesting for the Presidency. Personalities like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mallam Aminu Kano, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim, Chief Moshood Abiola and General Shehu Musa Yar’adua might have passed away to the greater beyond, but have left behind legacies worthy of emulation, despite the fact that none of them have succeeded (or have been allowed to succeed) in the bid to climb the Presidential rostrum. As the 2007 election knocks on the doors, the caliber and competence of most of the contestants who have declared their “interest” to vie for the presidency, when put under the microscope, is highly questionable and amply ludicrous.
Topping the list of these jokers is Bukar Abba Ibrahim, the Yobe State governor who has governed the state for close to 12 years without any tangible achievement to show. If you happen to visit Yobe state you will be amazed at the very slow pace of its development. One other amazing aspect of the man was his much – publicized support for Obasanjo’s insidious third term day- dream, despite a strong opposition from his party, ANPP.
After Obasanjo third term bid was thrown away into the thrash can of history, Bukar Abba abruptly started scheming to become a Presidential candidate under the same party he double-crossed to support Obasanjo. Recently while opening his campaign office in Kano he told a correspondent of Radio Nigeria Kaduna that he aspire to lead Nigeria because “things are not going on well” in this country. At the heat of the third term debacle he was blinded by some inexplicable forces that he failed to recognize that things are really not going on well under Obasanjo’s leadership. Ironically, now that he wants to succeed Obasanjo his eyes were opened and he has suddenly recognized the president’s failure in governing the country.
Bukar Abba Ibrahim has not ditched his party, ANPP to pitch tent in Obasanjo’s camp (PDP), but his neighbouring Chief Executive, Saminu Turaki has surpassed him and is now seeking for the Presidency under PDP’s banner, despite been elected Jigawa state governor twice under the aegis of ANPP. I will not be wrong if I label his likes political prostitutes.
Saminu Turaki is arguably the most unpopular and most underachieving governor in Nigeria today. Jigawa State is one of the most underdeveloped states in the country, the governor is only known for his globetrotting escapes, embezzlement of local government funds and awards of inflated contracts to his kith and kin, his brother, Bashir been the main beneficiary. Although he has been able to establish InfoTech institutions, which is not a priority, the people he governs are yet to enjoy the real dividends of democracy. How such an incompetent, self-centered and under-performing manager of human beings can have the wherewithals to contest for Nigeria’s Presidency beggars disbelieve, however opportunistic Nigeria is. His candidacy is but a sick joke.
One of the leading, if not the leading, sycophants of Olusegun Obasanjo is the Nassarawa State governor, Abudullahi Adamu. He it was that led that historic troop in 2002 to Ota farm with the mission of “persuading” Obasanjo to consent to vie for reelection in 2003. We all know that their venture could not work, as the President had to ask for divine guidance. And God, as Obasanjo himself revealed, not Abdullahi Adamu and his entourage, directed Obasanjo to contest!
Like Saminu Turaki, Abdullahi Adamu is an underachieving governor. He only succeeded in milking Nassarawa state dry without any landmark development. His sycophantic tendencies and closeness to the President Obasanjo means Nuhu Ribadu’s EFCC will not dare investigate him. EFCC, as we all know, don’t go after Obasanjo’s loyalists. Like a story out of a fiction book, Abdullhi Adamu has also showed an interest to contest for Nigeria’s Presidency. If people like him should take over from Obasanjo the country will continue to plunge into the abyss-from prying fan to fire.
Jerry Gana has been described as a cat with nine lives for his consistency in serving virtually every government since Ibrahim Babangida appointed him Director-General of MAMSER in 1985. In a role similar to that of Josep Goebbels of the Nazi era, Gana used his sycophantic and propagandist specialty to serve all subsequent governments. He claims to be the man of God, but could not preach to Obasanjo, another acclaimed born –again, against the wanton embezzlement and self-enrichment as perpetuated in the government. He was one of the “brains” behind Obasanjo’s third term bid which failed woefully. Now he has launched an aggressive and demagogic apparatchik soliciting for Nigeria’s mandate to succeed his disgruntled master. What a slap in our faces!
Jerry Gana could have achieved success as a student, University don and as a sycophant/propagandist, but an office like that of the President is obviously not within his reach. Not that he is not qualified, but because his antics makes him unsuitable. No sensible Nigerian who knows his onions will vote for Jerry Gana under any circumstances. I don’t see the geography professor winning a ward election in Niger State, talk less of the presidency.
Jerry Gana, like Ahmadu “Ali Must Go” Ali and Jubril Aminu are among the select group of Nigerians who the sagacious Muhammad Haruna would like to dub as “having first class brains, but third class minds”. No person with third class mind should govern Nigeria again; we have enough of ineptitude leadership. The psychological trauma incurred on us by Obasanjo’s government has taken its adverse toll on us. Enough is enough.
The last of these pretenders to Nigerian Presidency that ends this lamentable tale of the development in Nigeria’s polity is one I considered a special case. If you are good in the guessing game you can be able to unveil this person to be Ahmed Sani (Yariman Bakura). After launching his Presidential Campaign Organization sometimes last year, a reporter ask him how he can be able to bankroll the organization as a governor in a Sharia state which is supposed to be corruption-free. His response was that he has made money before he was elected a governor in 1999, and can match every other contestant, being a rich man. I found that boast a big joke and a clever way of playing with our intelligence.
Yariman Bakura gained popularity with the introduction of Sharia legal system in Zamfara State. Many were fooled into assuming the Sharia he advocates was genuine and for the good of the people; it was after the Zamfara state governor has gained lots of grounds that we got to understand the Sharia was but a fake and a cheap means of gaining popularity. I remember arguing with a friend at the heat of Zamfara’s Sharia on my assumption of its authenticity, but how wrong I was. The popularity Yariman Bakura gained via the fake advocacy of Sharia made him to assume he can be able to deceive Nigerians to be a President in 2007.
Zamfara State is haven of corruption, and Yariman Bakura is at the helm of it. He has gained his vast wealth as the state’s two-term governor, no matter what he chose to tell us. Nigerians cannot consent to his fake promotion of Shari’a and acclaimed piousness. While I don’t see him going past the President primaries in ANPP, I don’t see him getting any close to being elected by the generality of Nigerians.
A number of high and mighty personalities have entered the 2007 Presidential race, and many are in queue to join in. Few of those that declared have certain degree of competency, but majority are jokers. Of these I found the enumerated five to have topped the list: they should forget about the Presidency. The comedy they used in their deception game can never work again. Nigeria needs a capable, competent and straightforward leader to succeed the feeble, self-enriching and deceptful Olusegun Obasanjo come 2007. Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Saminu Turaki, Abdullahi Adamu, Jerry Gana and Ahmed Sani don’t measure up and are not suitable. They are, in Jimmy Carter’s words, “jokers and pretenders”. Carter’s defeated opponents in 1976, McCarthy and MacBride even have an edge over them-they have contested in America’s major elections; our own jokers cannot go beyond the primaries!
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