Interview for waiver

The other two members were the state organising secretary and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Mobilisation. Ten of us appeared before the committee. Although we were told to be at the secretariat by 8am, it was nearly noon before the committee chairman arrived. Kutunku came up the stairs huffing and puffing. His chest […]

The other two members were the state organising secretary and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Mobilisation.
Ten of us appeared before the committee. Although we were told to be at the secretariat by 8am, it was nearly noon before the committee chairman arrived. Kutunku came up the stairs huffing and puffing. His chest was heaving like an old hippo. MaikahonKaro had been sitting with me since morning. When he saw him coming up the stairs he jumped up and said, “Kutunku, what kind of thing is this? Every time you must come late! You told His Excellency to be here by 8. Look at the time you are coming!” As usual when he did not have a ready answer, Kutunku roared with laughter. He said, “I was delayed by an urgent assignment!”
I was the only gubernatorial aspirant among the ten applicants. The others were all aspirants for lesser offices. Also, they were all decampees from other parties. Arriving at this stage in the waiver process itself took a long time. Even though I submitted my application seeking a waiver many months ago, the letter was brought back to me three weeks ago with a request for “additional information.” I had addressed my letter to the National Chairman through the State Chairman. I personally took it to the state chairman’s office and asked his secretary to stamp an acknowledgment copy, but she said there was no stamp in the chairman’s office. She said there was one in the state secretary’s office but that he had travelled and had locked his office.
When an envelope was brought to me from the party secretariat, I thought it was a reply to my letter. Instead I saw that it was my own letter. On top of it the state chairman’s personal assistant wrote with a biro, “Hon Chairman said you should say how much you gave the party since you came in and how many people you brought into the party.” I sat down and wrote another letter saying, “The party should check its receipt booklet to see how much I donated since I came in. As for the number of people I brought in, they are in thousands. Even executive officers of some opposition parties have defected to our party because of me.”
A week after I sent this second letter, I received a message that I should come to the party secretariat and appear before a committee that will recommend whether or not I should get the waiver. The committee was now ready to start the interview and I was the first to be called in. Kutunku brought out my letter, pretended to be reading it and then said, “Alhaji, welcome to this committee. The State Working Committee has asked us to recommend whether or not you should get a waiver to contest the primary elections. You know that you came into this party only last year and the rule says that you cannot contest for anything if you have not been a member for at least two years, unless if you get a waiver. A waiver can only be given to you based on your contribution to the party. The contributions we are talking about are 1] financial contribution 2] bringing in many people to the party and 3] any other important contribution to the growth of the party. I therefore want you to tell us what your contributions have been since you joined the party, apart from the trouble that your boys have been causing, especially that Maikaho.”
I had been told beforehand that Kutunku is fond of making provocative statements during political meetings. I had also been advised that the only language Kutunku understands is an equally tough response. So I jumped to my feet and pointed my finger at Kutunku, saying “I will not accept that! You must withdraw that statement! Which trouble have we been causing? Is this not politics? We are doing our best for the party and you say we are causing trouble! I will not take that…”
Musa Kutunku again roared with his trademark laughter. He said, “Alhaji, you don’t know joke? I was only joking! Maikaho is my friend. I play with him the way a Fulani man plays with a Tivman.” He however added, “Before recently, when the two of them started fighting.”
After order was restored I began to answer the question. I said, “I have made a lot of financial contributions to the party since I came in. Some of it you know since I brought it to you as the Treasurer, but some of it you don’t know because I made the donation through other party organs at all levels.” Kutunku interrupted, “Any donation that I don’t know about is not a donation to the party.” I again flared up. “What do you mean? Are you the only organ of the party?” Kutunku said, “If you go and collect people to support your aspiration and you give them money, is that donation to the party?” I replied heatedly, “Which people did I collect? You mean if I donate to a local government or ward branch to help them maintain their office, fuel their cars or to host a meeting, it is not a contribution to the party?”
 “No,” Kutunku said. “That one is your personal campaign. So you mean even the money you spend on bokaye is a donation to the party? I am the Treasurer; any donation that does not come through me is not a contribution to the party. Where is your receipt for the contribution?” “I gave the party two buses,” I said. Kutunku said, “Where are they? Are they the ones that you fill with your boys when you are going around?” “Not those ones!” I said. “The two Hiace buses that are parked there in the secretariat!” “Those ones are dead,” he said. “Did you give money to repair them? You know party work is very hectic and you just gave tokunbo buses and didn’t even give money for their fuel and repair. That one is not a proper donation.”
When the shouting match between Kutunku and I was getting out of hand, the organising secretary stepped in. He said, “Ok, ok. Calm down Alhaji. We heard about the money you said you gave. Let us now hear, how many people have you brought into the party since you came in last year? There is also a petition here that I will like you to answer. It said you did anti-party activity during the recent by-election.”