By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North
It was the Russian anarchist, Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921), who postulated that “The condition of man is a condition of war”. Though the revolutionist passed on about nine decades ago, Kropotkin’s writings and thinking have continued to influence the politics of Russia and other parts of the globe including Nigeria, which actively adopted democratic rule since 1999 and has continued to run with it despite some challenges. Playing politics in Nigeria is a game of survival for those who have mastered the staying power, which in most cases demands more than just being competent.
Nigerian politics could be likened to war for the mere fact that it is often run around a particular person designated as its leader while the other party men are often expected to line up behind him without asserting any influence of theirs just like what obtains in the frontlines.
Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido to endorse the presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
That is why in Nigeria, governors, ministers, lawmakers and all other members of any the party, are expected to line up behind President Goodluck Jonathan and tie their yearnings and aspirations to him and the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP or get their fingers burnt on the battle field.
Governor Sule Lamido and six other governors of the PDP-Rotimi Amaechi, Aliyu Wamakko, Abdulfattah Ahmed, Murtala Nyako, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Babangida Aliyu, who at a time were fondly referred to as the G-7 governors, wanted to upstage the culture of servitude in the party and they nearly got drowned by the weight of the behemoth.
Their simmering discomfort with their party and the Presidency came to the fore on August 31, 2013 when they protested over the conduct of the mini convention of the PDP at the Eagle Square, Abuja. They stormed out of the venue of the National Convention and marched straight to the Yar’Adua Centre where they declared their dissatisfaction with the turn of events in the party they had always supported and worked for. To demonstrate their seriousness, they immediately floated a new faction which was known as the new PDP, which was subsequently disallowed by the court. When the effort to sustain the faction was resisted by the mainstream and the court, some of the G-7 members defected to the newly-formed All Progressives Congress, APC, on December 16, 2013, damning the fearsome consequences awaiting them then and in the future. In that daring category were Rotimi Amaechi, Ahmed Abdulfattah, Aliyu Wamakko, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Murtala Nyako. Two men-Babangida Aliyu and Sule Lamido, refused to leave the PDP, insisting that they could not abandon the house they helped to build for tenants to take over. The rest is history. Murtala Nyako, who was one of the five who jumped ship to the APC, has since been flushed out of the ship with a sledgehammer of politics while the rest are still being pursued with horsewhips to ensure that they retrace their steps or be grounded especially as the next phase of elections draws near.
One man-Sule Lamido, who has remained steadfast in its pursuit of welfare and physical development for his people, has insisted that the right thing must be done for him to return into the mainstream politics of the PDP. While he distanced himself from major programmes of the party to drive home of disagreement with the way things were going, he refrained from abusing or insulting the leadership. In the heat of the crisis, he restricted himself to Dutse the state capital and avoided meetings called by the party. But the party knew his worth and would not move against him.
They saw his political relevance to the party and they coveted it. Lamido boosted his political profile when he conducted election into the 27 LGAs of the state on January 21, 2014 and his party won everywhere. It was difficult for the party leadership to ignore him. That was how strident efforts were being made to lure him back into the mainstream. But while that was being done by the party, information began to filter into town that Lamido had assembled a formidable team to wrestle power from Jonathan in 2015. Lamido has however never told anyone that he wanted to contest the 2015 Presidency. If for anything, he has often maintained that even though he would want to run as for the Presidency, the atmosphere was not ripe for him to do so. This much he told journalists in his Bamaina country home in January this year. That notwithstanding, those who were bent on creating a safe distance between him and the Presidency still went to town with the claim that the governor was frontally opposed to Jonathan and the PDP. But all this fizzled on September 18, 2014, when the governor personally appeared at the National Executive Council meeting of the PDP and earned unending applause as he joined his colleagues to endorse President Jonathan as the sole candidate for next year’s election. This was at the peak of insinuations that Lamido has completed plans to launch his presidential campaign team with a view to flushing out Jonathan.
There was no doubt that Lamido was upset that Jonathan did not fulfil most of the campaign promises he had made to the people of the state during his presidential campaigns. The governor, who stood in the gap for Jonathan during the campaigns and election that gave him victory in Jigawa had been at odds to explain to his people why nothing concrete came their way since after the election. In fact, it was clearly stated that out of the N15 billion that the state government used in constructing the magnificent airport, the Federal Government only contributed N750 million.
But all this came to a happy end last Tuesday when President Goodluck Jonathan accompanied by the National Chairman of the PDP, walked majestically into Dutse and inaugurated the Jigawa State International Airport, which Lamido built. The airport has a record completion period of eleven months and has become a scenic beauty to behold. It is complete with a fantastic runway that spans about 3.4 kilometres and boast of modern facilities including state of the art fire equipment, handling facilities, medical bay. When Jonathan landed there with his jet, he felt good and nodded his head in total satisfaction, praising Lamido to the high heavens. With broad smiles on his face, Jonathan began the eulogy: “Governor Lamido your are a man of vision, a man of ideas and a man who have made your people proud by bringing people-oriented projects to your state and adding value to your citizens.
The President, who described the project as a blessing to Jigawa and Nigeria, promised that his administration would give adequate support to the airport but would not write off the N15.5 billion, which the state expended on it.
While describing an airport as an indispensable facility for business transaction, Jonathan noted that the completion of the project by Lamido would attract investments to Nigeria and generate jobs for the citizens.
Governor Lamido, on the other hand, said he was proud of Jonathan’s transformation agenda that had made it possible for the governors under his party to render quality services to Nigerians.
The governor said he decided to work quietly for the transformation of the state rather than making noise.
Jonathan’s appreciation of Lamido, and what he has done for him and the people of his state, was to continue at a different forum in the Government House, Dutse, where he met with stakeholders in the state drawn from the five emirates of Dutse, Hadeja, Gumel, Ringim and Kazaure.
Although most of them did not know what Jonathan was coming to tell them because of the apprehension that he had some political misunderstanding with their son, the elders however kept an open mind, wondering what would happen when the two men meet face to face.
But in the end, it was even more accolades for both political gladiators. While the people poured encomiums on Jonathan for being a promise-keeper, the President in turn, praised their governor for supporting him despite all odds.
Jonathan said: “I must thank Governor Sule Lamido for the development strides he has recorded. From 2007 till now, I have seen what Lamido has done.
“I have to thank him immensely for the transformation of the state. I know what Jigawa State was and I have seen what he has done so far to change the tide. Within Lamido’s tenure even the blind will see that he has performed.
“I know the role Lamido played in my election in 2011. If a governor means well for you, he can at least support you during the primaries. Sule was totally committed to me and he is not somebody who talks with both sides of his mouth”.
With those words, Lamido’s status immediately changed from a suspected governor by the Presidency to one, who can be trusted and given major assignments to carry out especially as the election of the President draws closer.
Unlike before, when the people were not sure of what Jonathan would do to Lamido if they met one on one, the day’s gathering, was very cordial and peaceful. Only one person, a respected son of the state and a former minister of power, Bashir Dalhatu, spoke on behalf of the people of Jigawa when they met with Jonathan, while Lamido and other stakeholders of the state merely sat and listened with rapt attention. But they were not disappointed at the end of Dalhatu’s brilliant presentation.
The former minister started his unwritten speech as though he would hit the visitor somehow but at the end of his presentation Jonathan and Lamido as well as those on the entourage could not help but gave him a loud ovation.
Dalhattu had begun his speech by reminding Jonathan of the many good things that he had promised the people of the state and how he had successfully delivered on them. He reminded the President that he promised them an airport which he commissioned that day. He told Jonathan that he promised them a Federal University which had since begun operations in Dutse and the supply of agricultural inputs, which the farmers were already enjoying.
At that point, many started clapping for Mr. President, and he himself had to join the crowd and clap for himself.
With the new-found love and political bonding, it is clear that Lamido has warmed himself into the political mainstream that he felt alienated from when he raised the alarm in August 2013 and called for a change of attitude for the better. He seems to have laughed at last.
His new relationship with the leadership of the PDP and Jonathan it is assumed will last given the fact that Lamido has declared openly that he is not contesting for the Senate like many of his contemporaries. He may be seen as a hero, a daring man and a contented party man at the end of the day.
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