Bafarawa's Many 'Sins'

By

Kaltume Jauro Arkilla

kjarkilla@yahoo.com

 

Since the arrest of ex-governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at Sheraton Hotel Abuja where he was attending a political meeting, many a Nigerian expressed shock on the current administration’s claim to Rule of Law vis-à-vis the fight against corruption.

 

Others were surprised that it was same Bafarawa who, few hours after handing over to his successor, wrote to EFCC requesting it to visit Sokoto to ascertain the financial position of the state as par his handing over notes. Surprisingly, the Commission chose not to honour the request, not until some days to gubernatorial bye election ordered to be conducted in the state in April 2008 when it invited him to shed more light on the matter. Since then, not much was heard from EFCC on the case.

 

This no doubt reinforced Nigerians’ belief that Bafarawa’s financial management was prudent and transparent as classified by EFCC back in 2006. What, therefore, made the EFCC to now turn round and embark on intimidating Bafarawa inspite of his past clean records? The reasons simply lie in the many ‘sins’ of Bafarawa; sins few Nigerians are aware of.

 

First, is Bafarawa’s background and political orientation. He hails from a remote village, Bafarawa, in Isa Local Government of Sokoto state. He is from Zamfarawa clan of Hausa tribe. Thus, it is a ‘sin’ for him not to belong to one of the dominate clan associated with the once upon a time Sokoto Caliphate. Moreover, he is fond of tracing his political experience to 1970s; a challenge many of his contemporaries do not want to hear any more.

 

Second, it remains a great ‘sin’ for him not to accept any godfather in his practice of politics. No doubt, from 1999 elections to date, the godfathers and their sons have keep on telling him that Nigerian politics is all about godfatherism and that the more he believes otherwise the more he will see.

 

Third, when he was a governor of Sokoto state, Bafarawa ‘sinned’ by embarking on the provision of democracy dividends to the electorates, instead of sharing the state resources to the self-acclaimed elders and perceived godfathers. This contrasted the long established tradition of sharing formula in the state.

 

Fourth, when during the Obasanjo’s Third Term debate Bafarawa parted away with party for its support to the project, he ‘sinned’ by forming a new political party instead of joining the largest party in Africa. He also ‘sinned’ for supporting the anti-Third Term elements in the National Assembly.

 

Fifth, as the 2007 general elections approached, Bafarawa committed yet another ‘sin’ by refusing to succumb to Obasanjo’s pressure to work for PDP. The man was requested to join PDP and crown governors for Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states by Bafarawa remained glued to his rigidness by not only continue to maintain his newly formed party but also contested as its presidential candidate. No wonder, two days to the election, his personal house was ransacked by security operatives under the guise of searching for his loyalists who were alleged to have had some questions to answer. As a sitting governor then, the operatives did not mind burgling his sleeping rooms, searching under beds for the said suspects.

 

More than that, the ‘sinful’ Bafarawa resisted all attempts to employ Nigerian ways of winning Sokoto state for his party; he refused using thugs and professional ballot box snatchers for that purpose. The likes of Bafarawa are few who could be delighted for loosing elections once it was peaceful (even though not transparent), without even a chicken loosing its life. Had Bafarawa agreed with Obasanjo’s proposal, he would by now stand far above the Law and its enforcers, not to talk of the EFCC harassment. Al local level, the self-acclaimed Sokoto elders too would have by now considered him as one of them. But the man chose to remain ‘arrogant’ in the context of Nigerian political order.

 

Sixth, after the 2007 general elections, Bafarawa’s party petitioned the election tribunal on the irregularities with PDP gubernatorial nomination, there was much jittery among godfathers and elders in the state whose wuru-wuru was thus discovered and exposed. They all prevailed on him to withdraw the case but he maintained that the Judiciary must be allowed to make pronouncement on the matter to help guide future elections and to have clearer understanding of the electoral laws. It was when the verdict on the case was given that many came to realized that Bafarawa ‘sinned’ by seeking legal redress on the matter. It was ruled that his successor was not eligible to contest the 2007 election and that a bye election be conducted.

 

The ‘sin’ of Sokoto gubernatorial election is still with Bafarawa; the legality or otherwise of PDP to contest the bye election is now subject of litigation at the Election Appeal Court Sokoto. Only God knows what the verdict will be. But the continued pursuance of the legal case by Bafarawa’s party is a ‘sin’ in the prevailing Nigerian political scene.

 

As a wage to his rigid political stand, his successor had no option but collaborate with powers that be to explore all avenues to repay Bafarawa back. The idea of Probe Commission came up; the recommendation being that Bafarawa stole billions of naira from state coffers. If not already being termed a ‘sinner’, Bafarawa would have made a good case in the sense that the joint allocation funds he was alleged to have misappropriated could best be accounted for by present governor who then doubled as Bafarawa’s deputy governor and commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. But by current Rule of Law, Bafarawa alone has to bear the burden since the present governor is enjoying protection by the Amenity Clause.

 

Another ‘sin’ allegedly committed by Bafarawa was the creation of additional District Heads in the state. In order not for him to ‘sin’ like Bafarawa, the present governor took a short cut to this problem by sacking a number of District Heads, not creating additional ones. And Sakkwatawa are made to appreciate the ‘sack’ system. At a high level, Bafarawa got drowned into deep ‘sinful’ ocean for refusing to audit the Sultanate Financial records as is being done now. Bafarawa mistakenly thought that the Sultanate deserved greater honour and respect in the affairs of the state when in Nigerian politics it does not; afterall, it is not the Sultanate but Aso Rock that determines who wins or looses election.   

 

To add more salt to the injury, instead of Bafarawa to repent for his many ‘sins’, he opted to join hands with the ‘undesirables’ to chart a contradictory democratic path for the country called Mega Movement of Nigeria. The idea stands out as an arch rival to existing political order that Nigerians are used to: lack of power supply, insecurity, kidnapping, corruption, lack of infrastructures, deregulation, election rigging, poverty, etc. Surely, Bafarawa and his associates who are working on an alternative political system that seeks to separate Nigerians with their common companions of poverty, insecurity, unemployment, political thuggery, disease and so on must have ‘sinned’ not only the largest party in Africa but its security operatives.

 

Prior to this, Bafarawa had times without number lamented on the low performance of the present administration; more worrisome is the fact a northerner is now the president. Thus, Bafarawa further ‘sinned’ by his questioning the go-slow nature of the present administration. He erred by constantly counseling an administration that boosts of having a sound team of advisers who are talented in all aspects.

 

What, therefore, happened at Sheraton Hotel where the Mega Movement was meeting on December 9, 2009 was clear signal to Bafarawa and his associates that the largest party in Africa’s plan to rule Nigeria for sixty years can not be disrupted and those that dare attempt doing so are at risk.

 

The party has at its disposal all arsenals to launch attacks or manufacture charges against the ‘sinning’ and uncompromising political elements. The wage of ‘sin’ is EFCC prosecution. It’s now Bafarawa’s turn. Atiku, Buhari, Tinubu and noise makers in PDP like Nnamani, Masari, and the rest are bound to follow suit, unless they renounce the idea and repent by seeking shelter under the ‘umbrella’ or shut up their mouth. But, will they? Time will tell.

 

Kaltume Jauro Arkilla,

 

Department of Political Science,

 

Bayero University, Kano