I brought Wammako into politics, now he is after me – Bafarawa
Sokoto State Government’s Commission of Inquiry has recently indicted you alongside five other people that served during your administration, demanding you to refund N2.9billion to the state. What exactly happened? This is what I heard as the submission of the Commission of Inquiry to the governor. It was very surprising to me because when the […]
Sokoto State Government’s Commission of Inquiry has recently indicted you alongside five other people that served during your administration, demanding you to refund N2.9billion to the state. What exactly happened?
This is what I heard as the submission of the Commission of Inquiry to the governor. It was very surprising to me because when the commission of inquiry was set up, I was invited to come to the commission. I then asked my lawyer to write the commission that they should write to me the allegations levelled against me. My lawyer wrote to them but they refused to respond to my request. Still, I accepted to go to the commission without knowing the allegations they levelled against me. I went there personally. I asked the commission to tell me what I have done to be there. The Chairman of the commission said that I was there as a witness not as an accused. This was done publicly before the press. The chairman of the commission took about five minutes to address the press saying that the former governor is here as a witness but not a suspect.
Secondly, all the witnesses that went to the commission testified nobody mentioned my name that he gave me money or I instructed him to give somebody money on my behalf. In fact, there was nowhere my name was mentioned in public funds. Still, I told them that for more information, I wanted the commission of Inquiry to invite the governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako, who was my deputy for seven years and Commissioner for Local Government for four years. I said since the commission’s investigations bordered on the local government’s joint accounts, it would be more appropriate for Wammako to go there and answer some questions.
I said also that if the commission didn’t have questions for him, I personally have some for him. This is because he served in the Ministry for Local Government for four years and I knew he made a lot of mess with public funds there. I have the records. I have all the documents with me. That was what even brought about his proposed impeachment. He knew it very well. If not for the intervention of some of my senior brothers about his impeachment, Wammako would not have been a governor today; because he would have been impeached for stealing public funds. I have all the records to prove and when the time comes I will certainly prove to people who Wammako really is.
I have been restraining myself from joining issues with him but he is still bent on tarnishing my good name and I can’t sit down and allow him tarnish my refutation. If at all Wammako is sincere in what he is doing, he first of all, took the same case to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). EFCC investigated this matter; they seized my passports and later returned it to me. What made him to establish another commission of inquiry for the same case? Why can’t he wait for EFCC, an independent body to conclude its investigations and establish whether I or my associates stole this money or not. The EFCC is still on it. This commission of inquiry is meant to blackmail me for reasons best known to him. I believe he is just wasting his time and we are going to prove with figures very soon. If at all there is any N2.9 billion to be refunded, then it is with Wammako. Lets meet in court and I will prove that to him.
You see, Wammako should have been fair to himself and the people of Sokoto State. I was the very person that publicly declared that I left N11.8 billion in Sokoto State coffers. It would have been over N13billion but I paid salaries and allowances. I said this publicly and I will continue saying it. If at all Wammako is sincere to Sokoto State people, he would have set up a commission of inquiry to investigate me about this money. But he kept quiet. Now, if at all as they claim, we are going to refund money, it is going to be Bafarawa and Wammako to refund the money. This is because as far as I am concerned, he was the Commissioner for Local Governments. That is why he refused to appear before the commission. I appeared before the commission to show to the people of Sokoto that I am not corrupt. Wammako is corrupt and I can prove that to the public when the time comes.
Do you see this indictment as a build up to what happened about a week ago when your convoy was attacked at a Jumu’at mosque premises in Sokoto?
Well, since we started this new political movement with Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, I have been receiving a lot of threats to my life. You can see what had happened in Sokoto two Fridays ago. I was attacked in the mosque. For heaven’s sake, how can you arrange people to attack somebody in a place of worship for no reason? After that, they quickly came out with a commission of inquiry paper.
I had already taken this matter to court. I am in court with them challenging this. If they have anything to prove that Bafarawa is corrupt, let them come to court. If they don’t want EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and related matters Commission (ICPC), where they took me before; let us go to court and let them bring their facts while I bring mine.
Recently, the Sokoto State Government is accusing you of moving with convoy capable of bringing public disturbance. Why do you still move with convoy?
You can see that they don’t want to see people behind me. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s chairman was accusing me of moving with convoys. Do they want me to ride kabu-kabu and go to the mosque carrying my praying mats in my hands? Or do they want me to ride Kabu-kabu and travel to Sokoto? Honestly speaking, whenever the people of Sokoto realise that I am in town, either going to the mosque or my house, they will just turn and follow me on their own. Presently, whenever I am in Sokoto now, I don’t even want to go out unless it is very necessary. The security agencies know that.
There was a time I wanted to pay a condolence visit to one family in Sokoto. By the time I went to the place, I couldn’t even come out of my car because of the large number of people that came to greet me; I was constrained to go back to my house. I had to leave the place because I need peace in my state. The security knew this. I am not using siren. If I am going out my supporters will follow me and I can’t stop them from doing that. As a politician I can’t say people should not follow me. It is unfortunate for someone to just come overnight and say that he doesn’t want people to follow me having served Sokoto State for eight years. In fact, he is just wasting his time.
Your attack is allegedly carried out by some area boys that have been responsible for the orgy of violence that has been happening in the state recently. What do you think is responsible for this?
It is only in Sokoto that I see where there is a government and they don’t want peace. They are always trying to cause one confusion or another in order to accuse other people. We are indeed tired of this violence and Sokoto people are watching.
Many still wonder why you are at dagger-drawn with Governor Wammako, the same person that served you for seven years as deputy governor. At which point did you part ways and why?
People don’t know my relationship with Wammako, or how I brought him into political limelight from near obscurity as my running mate in 1999. He served with me as my deputy and there is no way you will bring your enemy to serve with you. Throughout our campaign period there was no point where he contributed his single kobo to the success of our ticket in 1999. But he later betrayed me and left us. It was he that created division in our party (ANPP) even though I was accused all this while but I kept quite. Now, what is his relationship with the PDP people that gave him the governorship ticket? You see, he didn’t honour his agreement with them and now they are in court. He is my political student. I taught him this game, but unfortunately he is now not doing what he was taught.
Again, some district and village heads in the Sultanate were recently removed from their position for allegedly maintaining a cordial relationship with you. And that you have been doing things that were capable of bringing the Sultanate to ridicule during your eight-year tenure as governor of the state. How authentic is this allegation?
Well, I thank God that everything one does is recorded. When I left office in 2007, the same Governor Wammako said that I denied His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto his rights. And now he has made a law that gave the Sultan full authority to appoint and sack, a right he claimed I hitherto denied the Sultan. But Wammako has forgotten that it was he, as the Commissioner for Local Governments that made that law; then we took it to the House of Assembly. The same law, he is now accusing me of, it was Wammako who made it as a Commissioner for Local Governments.
Now, he came and changed the law and said that he gave the Sultan full powers. Which powers is he talking about now? It was the same government that was sacking district and village heads and the Sultanate Council would come out saying they were not consulted. If at all, the law he meant was meant to give the Sultanate full powers, then he should have allowed it to handle the chieftaincy affairs in the state, without interfering as he has been doing recently. You can understand what I am saying if you recalled the media war between the Sultanate and the government recently.
I don’t want to be making noise. You see, with all humility I can say that I have made several contributions to the Sultanate Council than most of the chief executives that served the state. For instance, when I became a governor in 1999, what I made was Sokoto State Emirate Council. I made a law that changed to its present status of the Sultanate Council. Secondly, I empowered the Sultanate Council by enacting a law that enabled it to receive two or three percent from the local governments joint account monthly. It may interest you to know that when I signed that law it was the PDP-controlled local government chairmen that took me to court, saying that they didn’t want me to be given the Sultanate that money, which was about N40 million per month. The court ruled in our favour. Before I left office the Sultanate Council had received about NI.5 billion from that deduction alone.
I can’t therefore imagine being accused of undermining the Sultanate, whereas I am the same person that created the Sultanate Council; initiated the two percent local governments’ joint account’s allocation to the Sultanate Council; conducted the Sultanate Bi-centenary celebration and even appointed the Sultan himself on my own discretion.
I therefore find it very difficult to believe somebody accusing me of disrespecting the Sultanate. One, I am from the royal family. Secondly, I am a title holder in the Sultanate. I am Garkuwan Sokoto, which is the Shield of the Caliphate. It doesn’t therefore follow to say that somebody who is the Shield of the Sultanate is turning around to destroy the Sultanate, he is legally ought to have protected. I just don’t want to make noise.
Let me give you an instance, Wammako had removed the district head of Wammako, his hometown. And he brought his blood brother, same father and mother and enthroned him as the district head. It was the same Wammako, who denied our family the throne of my grandfather, after the death of my father. After my father’s death, the family met and selected our candidate but Wammako refused to appoint him. Instead, he brought somebody from outside the family and gave him the chieftaincy title which is our own right. We simply went to court to challenge it because we need peace. It would have degenerated to something violent if we followed what he wanted in the first place. All I know is that time will surely tell.