Between confusion and Bafarawa’s desperate search for political relevance
To go directly to the point, without, is to say that Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa has found himself in a thorny political situation, which the former governor had never anticipated. To be fair, to the erstwhile governor of my state of origin is to say that the once-powerful Sokoto State governor ought to employ all means […]
To go directly to the point, without, is to say that Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa has found himself in a thorny political situation, which the former governor had never anticipated. To be fair, to the erstwhile governor of my state of origin is to say that the once-powerful Sokoto State governor ought to employ all means at his disposal to regain his lost political weight.
In trying to do that, Bafarawa is once again trapped by other dilemmas, which are posing serious threat to the realization of his ambition. He is finding it very difficult, or even impossible, to get true political allies of the same qualities of the incumbent Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wammakko, who was Bafarawa’s close political associate before the duo part ways. Wammakko, contrary to the claims of Bafarawa in an interview he granted to Sunday Trust of 1st November, 2009, has been a politician of repute in Sokoto State with tremendous grassroots support. It was this reputation, among other qualities, that made Bafarawa to pick Wammakko as his running mate to contest the 1999 Sokoto State gubernatorial elections. The Bafarawa/Wammako ticket succeeded in 1999 and 2003 because Allah had willed that the ticket would succeed coupled with Wammakko’s grassroots popularity.
The remark made by Bafarawa in that interview that Wammakko did not spend a single Kobo throughout their campaign tours and rallies suggests at least two haughty dispositions on Bafarawa’s personality. First is that, Bafarawa had confessed the unwholesome ‘investment’ he made while trying to capture the Sokoto State’s seat of powers. He ‘invested’ alone and had alone ‘reaped the benefits of his lonely investment’.
Second, no sound mind would agree with Bafarawa that Wammakko as his running mate did not contribute a single Kobo for the running of their campaigns’ activities as that is never possible. Nevertheless, with that remark Bafarawa has ridiculed himself and he has, as well, exposed his political ineptitude. No matter what, Bafarawa had ‘invested’ heavily to get the control of Sokoto State government’s machineries and in return he had not only heavily ‘reaped the dividends of his investment’ but succeeded in ruining the state.
On many occasions, after Bafarawa had decamped from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and formed his Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), the former Sokoto State governor accused General Muhammad Buhari, under whose support and that of Aliyu Magatakarda Wammakko he won the 1999 and 2003 Sokoto State gubernatorial elections, of rigidity and political illiteracy. The questions begging for Bafarawa’s answers are simply thus; has Buhari acquired political education that now qualified the General as a true politician? Or does Bafarawa wants to use the General as a stepping stone in regaining his political weight, since he has lost the likes of Wammakkos, as he did in 1999 and 2003? Has Buhari now softened his beliefs and had become ‘flexible’ to suit Bafarawa’s type of politics? Or does Bafarawa wants to use the General for his selfish interest and dump him as he did when the General needed his support for the 2007 general elections?
While these questions wait for Bafarawa’s answers. He should know that Allah had already come to the rescue of the Sakkwatawa by booting him and his allies out from the helm of Sokoto State’s affairs. Sakkwatawa have had enough of his arrogance and unreserved greed. Sakkwatawa have resolved not to trust Bafarawa or any of his allies again. My elders say; mutunci madara ne baya zubewa a kasa a kwashe, simply translated; dignity is like cow milk once it splits on the ground it can never be recovered.
Instead of Bafarawa to waste his time in political propaganda and mischief, he should have devoted his time in finding means of refunding the N2.9 billion local governments’ fund he had embezzled as discovered by the Sokoto State Judicial Panel of Inquiry. We don’t need to ask the Panel for more proofs on Bafarawa’s culpability as the former Sokoto State governor had lamented his blameworthiness in that interview he granted to Sunday Trust. His allegation that the local government funds were embezzled when governor Wammakko was a commissioner in charge of local government affairs is an admission that the money were actually embezzled when Bafarawa was a governor but Bafarawa wants us to believe that Wammakko as a toothless-commissioner for local government affairs and deputy governor embezzled the money.
Bafarawa should know that we cannot forget soon of the way and manner he ran the machinery of government when he was in office as Sokoto State governor. It was a known fact that Bafarawa had then turned the Sokoto State treasury his personal coffers. Due process and other governmental etiquettes and procedures were indiscriminately abused. Commissioners during Bafarawa’s aristocratic regime had no right to sit on chairs when they were with Bafarawa. The government then was a kind of monarchical type where the sentiments of one person, not the interest of the common Sokoto populace, prevailed. Then how on earth can we believe Bafarawa that Wammakko despite these hurdles was able to embezzle a whopping N2.9 billion at a time when commissioners were not allowed to approve beyond N5 million, or even less, expenditures.
Bafarawa’s arrogance, greed and egotism became some of the major factors that put him and his then deputy, Wammakko, at loggerhead. Wammakko could not then tolerate the abuse of trust, which the Sakkwatawa had bestowed on them hence Wammakko began to react, what transpired thereafter is now history, but we cannot easily forget how Bafarawa there and then began to witch-hunt Wammakko and this led to the latter’s resignation from office as deputy governor.
Had Bafarawa going to heed my advice, I would have at this juncture advise him to quietly return the N2.9 billion to Sokoto State coffers, come out to apologise to the Sakkwatawa for ruining their state and resources and retire to his farm to continue offering supplications to Allah, Who is most beneficent and most merciful, might forgive his misdeeds. As for regaining back his lost glory in Sokoto or Nigeria’s politics, Bafarawa should not forget that Allah would only make those who have the Sakkwatawa and Nigerians at heart to succeed in 2011. This is our prayers.
Dingyadi wrote from Sokoto GRA, Sokoto