Jonathan and politics in Kano
Indeed, the national convention was one political exercise that ambitiously challenged the unity and staying power of the Nigerian state against the background of the debate on zoning that bred so much hate to the extent of distorting the bond of friendship among fellow Nigerians. The contest featured a former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, […]
Indeed, the national convention was one political exercise that ambitiously challenged the unity and staying power of the Nigerian state against the background of the debate on zoning that bred so much hate to the extent of distorting the bond of friendship among fellow Nigerians.
The contest featured a former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as the consensus candidate of the North against the incumbent president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan, as we all know, is from the oil-rich Niger Delta area, an area that should not have produced the president going by the PDP arrangement on zoning. At the end of the crunchy encounter, Jonathan polled a landslide victory against his opponent. The rest, as they say, is now history.
However, the ripples of that national convention are still interred in the present and overheating polity, especially the Northern parts of the country in a way that is adjudged negative and cancerous and counter-productive. In the North, depending on the voting patterns of the delegates, their leaders and key stakeholders are either being politically devoured or adored by the local communities, who had expected all their delegates to have voted for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Those of them, like the leader of the Kano State delegates, whose delegates voted against the line and mood of the majority of party men and women, have since returned home to a hero’s welcome and have been luxuriating in the applause of a crowd that saw the convention from the eye of a war between the South and the North.
What is not in the public domain, however, is that the delegates from Kano State voted against the Jonathan/Sambo ticket, despite the fact that their leader holds a key position in the Campaign Organization and had assured all who cared to listen of the votes of Kano delegates. And that if not for politics, such an act is nothing but a betrayal.
However, not satisfied by all this, yet another ugly trend has been surfacing in the state. This is a trend whereby PDP supporters participate in defacing the billboards of Jonathan /Sambo. One of such example was the case of the billboard situated at the end of the Eastern bye pass.
In addition, a new slogan has also been invented to replace the controversial and partially obsolete chants of “Kwankwassiya amana”. This slogan goes this way: “Kano Sai Kwankwaso, Nigeria Sai Buhari”. And the meaning of this slogan is self explanatory, clearly stating that those who chant it, will engage in anti–party voting, and will no doubt vote in favour of the CPC’s presidential candidate.
On two or more occasions, these party supporters have presented themselves in this dismal light. One of such occasions was at the stakeholders’ briefing with the press, following the purported dropping of the candidate’s name by the party headquarters late last month.
There, at the press center and before the world, the crowd roared and rained abuses on the Jonathan/Sambo’s presidential bidding while their leaders watched them commit the ugly act. Party chieftains, a Senator and a member of the House of Representatives, were present at the event. But none of them bothered to call the crowd to order. Observers were left worrying: have things gone these bad in the PDP?
Another example of this attitude was recorded last week. The crowd that converged to receive party’s gubernatorial candidate still made it a duty to hit at the president. At the various interjections of the reception, the shouts and chants of “Sai Kwankwanso, Sai Buhari” swallowed all the noise in the air to the point that one would mistake his homecoming rally as a CPC event.
Yes! It is typical to excuse some of these inexcusables and callous actions as the actions of thugs and jolly fellows, which should not be taken seriously. But why is the party not stopping them?
What is rather hard to discern for a number of us who are equally members of the ruling party in the state is, why these thugs had reserved this amount of hatred for the President and his Vice and why also, up till this moment, they have carried on as if they are not aware of the universal injury they are inflicting on the party as a whole.
A political party is supposed to be a congregation of men of shared values and vision and not a confluence of ethnic jingoists or certified bigots. It is painful that the only reason they can count on for plotting to ditch their presidential candidate is not clear.
In conclusion, today is still the right time to change this style of politics and be defined by a more progressive and liberal approach to conflict resolution. This is the only way to move the party forward.
Temi Taminu is a resident of Hotoro Quarters, Kano State