Delegates are feeding fat

There are two categories of the delegates, the statutory ones and the ad-hoc ones that were elected at the ward congresses. The good thing about the statutory delegates is that you at least know who they are. They are the party state executives, the party chairman and secretary in each local government, members of the […]

There are two categories of the delegates, the statutory ones and the ad-hoc ones that were elected at the ward congresses. The good thing about the statutory delegates is that you at least know who they are. They are the party state executives, the party chairman and secretary in each local government, members of the state House of Assembly and the elected local government chairmen and councillors. Those ones, at least we know them and we know what to do to try to secure their votes. The trouble is with the ad hoc delegates. No one even knows who they are. The names of people that were declared elected at the venue of the ward congresses are being changed again and again. Today you hear that so-and-so person is a delegate, tomorrow you hear that no, his name has been substituted.
Between Government House and the state party secretariat, they are hiding the list of ward delegates and are changing it like you change your pant. The party chairman in Marmaro Local Government told Maikahon Karo that he collected all the 100 elected ward delegates from his local government, ten per ward, and went with them to the state secretariat for introduction. When they got there, he was shown another list of people as the delegates from Marmaro Local Government. He was told that this is the list approved by Government House. When he went out and told the people he came with that their names had been changed, they started shouting and protesting so the state party chairman Sallama Maikudi came out and addressed them. He said it was in the course of transferring their names from one computer to another that some names were changed but that it will be rectified. The liar he is, that our chairman.
Because of all that confusion, everybody will come to you and claim that he is a delegate to the congress. Ten people came to my house inside a bus. They alighted and marched pompously into my house, saying they were delegates from Muchi Ward of MunTsira Local Government. Luckily for me, MaikahonKaro walked in as they were introducing themselves. You know Maikaho, he knows almost every politician in Tafki State. Even before he sat down he looked at one of them and said, “Is this not Ilu Bakin Wake?” The man said, “I am the one, sir.” And Maikaho said, “When did you become a delegate? When did you even come out of prison? Were you not the one that was jailed last year for presenting a fake voucher at the sub-treasury?” He said, “I am the one.” Maikaho then grabbed him by the collar and threw him out of my house, warning him not to come near my house again.
Another group came from Rafi Local Government, nearly 30 of them. They said they were coming from the party secretariat where they had been accredited so they just “branched” to greet me. So I said, “Who accredited you? Has the state congress started?” They said the real accreditation is going on right now at the party secretariat, that the one that will take place at the congress venue is a fake one. They even showed me some tags that were given to them at the secretariat, each one with “Delegate” boldly inscribed on it.
Quite alright, one man came to my office the following day and said he was a friend of the state organising secretary. That he came to me with an offer to buy the delegate tags, 500 of them for one million naira. “These are the authentic tags,” he said. “Once you have them, you should just find the people who are very loyal to you and give them the tags. This tag admits them into the congress venue without any further screening. Wham! You win the election.” He said I should not worry about the list that Government House is compiling because when the officials to conduct the congress come from the national secretariat, they will only use the list given to them by the organising secretary.
These people also have no shame. They are moving from the house of one aspirant to another, trying to make a killing. One delegation arrived at my house and said they were delegates from Bulbuli Local Government. They ran into my Women’s Wing leader Hajiya Dela Yar’guguwa at the door and she said, “Were you not the people who just left Goshin Bauna’s house? We saw this your bus when we passed by his house a short while ago.” Their leader began protesting that no, they were not the ones, that they came to my house directly from their local government because it is me that they support.
The statutory delegates are also doing the same thing. Five members of the state assembly also came to my house saying they came to pledge their loyalty and support. On their way out I overheard a shouting match in the garden. TsininKusa ran into them at the entrance and he accosted one of them, Honourable Isa Hawainiya. “You are a hypocrite!” Tsinin Kusa was shouting at the top of his voice. “Are you not the one who led Dokin Karfe’s campaign team to go and greet the emir? And you are coming here to deceive Alhaji when everyone knows that you are Dokin Karfe’s supporter!”
Not long after those ones left, two Local Government chairmen came in. They were the chairmen of Idon Ruwa and Tama local governments. They said they came to assure me that all the local government chairmen are behind me, that they are only keeping it secret so that the Governor will not know but that I will see it at the state congress. By now I have also learned the tricks of politicians so I said, “Chairmen, thank you very much but I do not want secret support. Barbing has already passed the back and the middle of the head. It has already reached the forehead. If truly you are supporting me, I will organise a rally tomorrow and all of you should come and address it.” They enthusiastically said they agreed. When they entered their car, they called my watchman and said he should tell me that they will not be able to attend my rally tomorrow because there are multiple wedding ceremonies in their local governments.