Kano and Politics with Bitterness!

By

Kabiru Inuwa Tsakuwa

kabir.inuwa@gmail.com

 

 

The unfortunate turns of event following the November 17 local government elections in Kano state which left in its trails many ugly memories, will sadly remain in our psyche for a very long time. It was a day in which the political class murdered the serene, peaceful and tranquil ambience that has pervaded Kano for quit some time. That common sense and reason was relegated to the back-bench leaving behind death, destructions and unwarranted commotions and sufferings among the warring factions and innocent victims was the most obvious fact.

 

This write-up did not seeks to open old wounds nor was it an effort to apportion blames, but an honest attempt by a victim who has his fundamental right to civic responsibility breeched, to draw the attentions of the political gladiators on the need for civilised conducts; in order to guard against subjecting innocent people to a life of unwarranted and unmitigated sufferings!

 

Any keen observer of the unfolding scenario, will readily scored the Kano political class an awful zero, for their woeful failure to learn the simple, but powerful political philosophy that envisaged " politics without bitterness" as popularized by the late sage and champion of grass root mobilisations and redemptions, Mallam Aminu Kano of Blessed memory. What transpires on the black Saturday and Sunday was to say the least, a complete negation of all the ideals for which the consummate politician laboured for throughout his eventful life on earth.

 

The widely acclaimed champion of democratic humanism was neither known to be an advocate of political violence nor was he a strong believer in the do-or-die politics of today's politicians. He strongly believed in political persuasions and respect for the rules of law, with a firm belief in politics as simply a call to service, rather than an avenue for personal aggrandisement and embezzlements of the common wealth. Mallam Aminu always emphasised politics of ideology and principles that sought the complete emancipation of the masses from feudal subjugations and backwardness. He was in-fact a personification of humility, reciprocal coexistence, compromise and great personal sacrifices.

 

The recent political brouhaha where elections were conducted with so much bitterness by the Kano political class, which allowed thugs and street urchins to hold innocent citizens to ransom, was indeed, a very strong indictment. It certainly calls to questions, our sense of collective responsibility and mature approach to political engineering. It was an irony of fate that, those who like to regard themselves as disciples of the legendary champion of the masses, can not project the minimum standard of the ideals for which the man lives and died.

 

Where is the political sophistication, that has long been associated with Kano, if elections can not be conducted under a peaceful and civilised atmosphere? What happened to the maturity and sense of collective reasoning that, will not allow civility to take a centre stage in our approach to politics?

 

It is unfortunate that, the mayhem that characterised the last local government election had no doubt drawn back the hand of the clock, in our steady march toward rediscovering the lost economic status of our dear state. Our collective efforts to recover from the many years of misrules and deliberate economic strangulations of the last undemocratic and despotic dispensations was unfortunately, punctured by greed and failure to allow sanity and political maturity to prevail in our body polity.

 

But considering the fact that, this sad political tendency has never been a part and parcels of our founding fathers political lives, where politician openly clamoured for and encouraged lawlessness in order to gain undue advantage; what factor then, led to our current political experiment becoming a blood letting venture?

 

Part of the reasons may be adduced to the excruciating poverty pervading the north occasioned by the economic doldrums, which forced many people into the labour market in search of non existent jobs. In situations such as these, ability to occupy political office by any means fair or fouls became the only avenue for survival and a guarantee to new lifestyles of extreme opulence. In addition, the system had failed to shoulder the responsibility of providing for the basic needs of all citizens due to the absence of responsible leadership; prompting many of our vulnerable and unstable youths into drug addictions, thereby becoming a ready tools and cannon fodders in the hands of unscrupulous politicians to manipulate and engaged into battle of attritions.

 

It is now crystal clear that, if our spiritual and temporal leaders fail to device a means to engage the large army of our restive youths, who are lurking in different corners for an opportunity of this nature to wreck havoc and partake in self destructions, honestly our sense of collective security and well beings are definitely in danger! Our frustrated youths are now, akin to human time-bomb, waiting for an auspicious opportunity to detonate with devastating consequences.

 

It therefore became incumbent upon Kano political class and all the stakeholders in the country to adopt new attitudes to political brinkmanship. The calls became necessary in order to stem the ugly recurrence of the very bad and pathetic phenomenon of political violence. Our politicians must learn to appreciate the fact that, politics is not a means to a new life of ostentatious life-styles at the expense of the masses well beings; but an opportunity to serve and transform our lives for the better. They must know that, taking advantage of the bad economic status of our restive youth, through monetary inducements to foment troubles as happened in our recent past, can never be a panacea to elections riggings, rather, it will only aggravate our already precarious situations; thereby  endangering our lives.

 

For the period, the violence lasted, one was at a lost to fathom the reason why the political class failed to wait for the setting up of an electoral tribunals for the arbitrations of electoral disputes, considering the heart-warming rejuvenations taking place in our judicial system under the able leadership of the no-nonsense and incorruptible Justice Kutigi; which has so far, annulled five gubernatorial seats with many on the pipelines. It may be noted that, such bizarre attitudes as crudely and primitively displayed by selfish politicians on both sides of the divides can never ever happen in civilised societies, were all the aggrieved parties could have by now headed to a competent court of law to seek for redress without resorting to vicious spectre of wanton and needless blood lettings.

 

Therefore, the aftermath of the last local government elections in Kano and elsewhere, in which several lives and properties were painfully lost, should serve as a wake up call to the political class to appreciate the basic fact that: as long as electoral bodies saddled with the responsibility to organised elections at federal and state level failed to live above board; there can never be peace.

 

In addition, in as much as politicians occupying position of authorities continue to exert undue influence on the out come of electoral process by favouring one candidate over another and electoral bodies like INEC and SIECs, constantly headed by corrupt, incompetent and biased minds; the ugly phenomenon of the type we witnessed on the dark Saturday and Sunday in Kano will always rear its ugly head.

 

Also, if electorates are intimidated and hindered from exercising their civic duty in a peaceful manner, devoid of rancour and under-cover manipulations; And democratic franchise became an avenue to terminate innocent lives; people choice brazenly trampled upon and voting always failed to determined the outcome of an elections, it will be a miracle to expect people to just siddon-look and allow injustice to go without protest however feeble!. It therefore behoves upon the political class at all level to always respect the rule of law and people's verdict; that being the  surest antidote to the recurring political violence and a licence to continued peaceful coexistence!

 

Kabiru Inuwa Tsakuwa

Hausawa Sabon titi (Bawo Road)