Politics
How APC Tumbled Project Tambuwal In Sokoto
Following the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the governorship election in Sokoto State, the chairman of the party in the state, Hon. Muhammad Bello Aliyu Goronyo, while addressing a press conference in Sokoto, traced the root cause of the party defeat to unprecedented misuse of security apparatus by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to arrest, harass and intimidate its members towards undermining their freedom of mobilising and voting for their preferred party.
He also alleged that innocent citizens were killed while its teaming members were subjected to harrowing treatment by the leadership of the APC.
Responding, the APC told the PDP in Sokoto state not to look far but blame itself for suffering a round defeat in the governorship and state assembly elections held penultimate Saturday.
Addressing newsmen at the party secretariat, the Sokoto State APC Chairman, Honourable Isa Sadiq Achida said the multiple failures of the ruling PDP in Sokoto was behind their political defeat.
According to Acida, “while we understand the frustrations of the PDP as a result of their rejection by the people of Sokoto State, we would like to observe that they are the architects of their failure.
“This is because their non performance in the sectors of education, health, water supply and rural development, are unprecedented in the history of Sokoto State.
“Indeed, the destruction of the local governments administration and the virtual collapse of the entire State Government Civil Service system, are only a few, of the reasons, that brought about their downfall.
“As I speak to you today, a greater percentage of the Sokoto State Civil Servants are yet to receive their February salary, just as the monthly impress for Ministries in the State has become history for long.”
A PDP stalwart, Faruku Shuni, informed The Tide source that a post mortem analysis of their defeat at the election from their situation room centered on their choice of candidate.
He said, “though the deed has been done, it has heavily dawn on us that, the unilateral and unchallenged ‘imposition’ of our governorship candidate, was our major albatross at the poll.
“To keen followers of politics in Sokoto, the sudden emergence of Malam Sa’idu Umar Ubandoma, with no electoral weight aside being an appointee as commissioner and secretary to the state government was, a major factor that led to the defeats of the party in the state.
“It is after the loss that we now realise that we did virtually nothing to adequately treat and heal the wounds and moreso, covered a lot of grounds on the sudden emergence of Malam Ubandoma as our party flagbearer.
“Imagine the governor supporting his former SSG who has no political experience, at the expense of his deputy, Manir Dan’Iya, who commands massive grassroots support. Too bad, too late for us.
“The deputy governor, Manir Dan’Iya, was the party followers’ choice candidate. Upon the governor’s sole decision to pick Ubandoma ahead of the party popular candidate, the opposition APC, went into jubilation, over the wrong choice but, the governor could not see the handwriting on the wall.”
“Recall that Malam Sa’idu Umar, ran on the ticket of PDP with Sagir Bafarawa, the son of former Governor Dalhatu Attahiru Bafarawa as the deputy governor candidate. Observers however see the former governor as an old horse with less grip on the hold of the state politics.
Buttressing the friction within the PDP fold, Faruku Shuni disclosed that, the situation degenerated to a state where the deputy governor and his aides became the butt of joke from the Ubandoma camp, after clinching the governorship ticket.
“There was a large concern within the PDP fold which started like a rumour but grew into a subject of interest when followers of Malam Sa’idu Umar were calling out the deputy governor on social media platforms, asking when he would move to opposition APC,” he alleges.
Rather than healing the self-inflicted open sore on the ‘imposition’ of Ubandoma, the sore was left to fester when loyalists of Manir Dan’Iya, were outrightly sidelined in the composition of the state presidential and governorship campaign committees.
Realizing that the rug had been pull under his feet, Manir Dan’Iya, who was handed the political suicide ticket to confront Senator Aliyu Wamakko for the Sokoto North senatorial seat, recoiled into his shell. He never printed a campaign poster nor hoisted a billboard. He passively participated in the party campaigns.
When he could not stomach the maltreatment on his godson any longer, renowned philanthropist and grassroots mobilizer, Alhaji Ummaru Kwabo, led the exodus of his foot soldiers out of PDP. Ummaru Kwabo alignment with the APC, marshalled by Senator Aliyu Wamakko, ultimately dismantling Tambuwal’s political project.
The conjecture whether Dan’Iya snubbed his godfather or play-along, by staying back in PDP and slug it out with Senator Aliyu Wamakko in the inconclusive senatorial contest where he polled 103,134 votes against Wamakko’s 114,866 votes, in a matter of days will come into the open.
However, a political analyst, Dr Suleiman Tsafe, posited that, the appointment of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, as the Director General of Atiku Presidential Campaign Committee, was a major factor that contributed to the defeat of PDP in Sokoto state.
He said, “the moment Tambuwal was appointed as the DG campaign, I knew it will be difficult for the party to win the state. Since his appointment as the DG, he hardly had time to spend in the state to coordinate affairs of the party towards the election.
“You can trace the history of campaign DG to the 2015 general elections when Rotimi Amaechi, the then governor of Rivers State was the DG of Buhari campaign, he lost his state to APC.
“In 2019, Bukola Saraki, was the campaign DG of Atiku presidential team and at the end he lost his state to the opposition again.
“Look at this year, both Sokoto and Plateau State governors who were the campaign DG of PDP and APC lost their states as well.
“I believe it’s a major factor as the position of DG will not give room for the leader to do the needful as it relates to the politics of the state which should have been a major priority.”
Civil Society Coalition for Good Governance, Budget and Accountability has condemned the defection of the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Executive Secretary, Civil Society Coalition for Good Governance, Budget and Accountability, Amb. Emmanuel Nkweke, who said this in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt also described as illegal all legislations passed by the defected lawmakers.
Amb. Nkweke described the defection as “monkey politics’, queried the rational behind the action of the lawmakers few months after being sworn into office, adding that members of the civil society community were yet to be told reasons for the defection.
“Up till now, we are yet to be told why they defected just few months of being sworn into office. For me, that is monkey politics”, he said.
He urged the lawmakers to go back to their former party and beg Rivers people for forgiveness, adding that if that is done, they may be welcomed back.
Amb. Nkweke also cautioned the lawmakers not to allow themselves to be used to do the bidding of an individual, adding that the present administration in the state needs the support of all to move forward.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the group has commended Governor Siminalayi Fubara for giving civil societies the latitude to operate freely in the state.
He alleged that civil societies were caged in the last eight years, adding that there was no breathing space for civil societies in the last eight years in the state.
Amb. Nkweke described civil society as the engine room of democracy as it engages in sensitisation on the policies and programmes of government, regretting, however, that their inputs were never taken into considerations.
“Civil societies give signals, civil society creates the awareness and sensitize the people towards achieving a reliable democracy.
‘’i want to let you know, very frankly, that civil society space in Rivers State, for the past eight years, was suffocated. There was no breathing space, they didn’t breathe. Civil society was dead completely”, he said.
Amb. Nkweke said the situation also affected upcoming activists as some of them had to operate from hideouts.
By: John Bibor
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on President Bola Tinubu not to condone incompetent personalities in his government.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, NANS President, Comrade Pedro Obi, expressed concerns about the competence of the Minister of State for Youth Development and the SSA to the President on Student Engagement.
Comrade Obi, after staging a peaceful protest at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), reiterated that the NANS will not be intimidated and will continue to fight for the interests of Nigerian students.
He said, “The message is very simple, we have incompetent people who have been appointed to offices. It’s unfortunate and it’s not the President’s fault, of course he believes in Nigerian youths and has also given us the opportunity to showcase our capacity in various roles that he has given us.
“We have the SSA to the President on Student Engagement, who has shown incompetence. He cannot continue to hold that office and we are calling on Mr. President that he should be sacked with immediate effect.
“Also we have the Minister of State for Youth Development. We are also calling that immediately he should be sacked, because he has left what he ought to do and has dabbled into the affairs of NANS.
“These people have displayed incompetence and are destroying the youth community. There are so many competent youths that President Tinubu can pick from.
“NANS can never be intimidated. This is an organisation that we grew up to meet and we will continue to protect the dignity of this organisation.”
Receiving the NANS on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office in the SGF, Dr. Maurice Nnamdi Mbaeri, assured the NANS of relaying back their complaints to the SGF which he said will land on the listening ears of President Tinubu.
According to him, “I have listened to the complaints you raised. I assure you that your complaints will get to the listening ears of Mr. President.
“Let me assure you that I’m happy this was also re-echoed in the NANS President’s speech that President Tinubu has indebt love for the youths of Nigeria and also for the students of Nigeria. This has been demonstrated by polices that (has) been put in place for the youths.
“I want to assure you that the President has your concerns in his heart and he’s always ever ready to attend to your needs.
“With this, I am going to report back to my boss the SGF, who will take up the matter with the President. I urge you to continue to maintain peace and tranquillity. Don’t do anything that will make Mr. President feel bad about you.”
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyiorchia Ayu, has withdrawn the court action he instituted against the party over his controversial removal from office barely two years into his four year term.
His action has removed legal impediments likely to militate against the emergence of his replacement from the North Central.
Several meetings have been held and being planned following this new development.
On Tuesday, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) passed a vote of confidence on the Ag. National Chairnan, Amb. Umar Damagum, whom members said has discharged his functions creditably.
It was gathered that the North Central Caucus of the party had long before now started mobilizing to ensure that the zone produces Ayu’s replacement to complete his tenure which expires in 2025.
In a related development, Amb. Damagum has held series of meetings with various groups to perhaps shore up his chances of retaining his seat as acting chairman.
He led the members of the NWC on Wednesday to interact with the PDP National Ex-officio ahead of the NEC meeting.
Immediately after the meeting with them, he led the NWC members to another meeting with the State Party Chairmen from the 36 States, including FCT, Abuja.
The meetings were held at the NEC Hall, PDP National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, in Abuja.
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