Katsina: Time for sober reflection

Again, the hotly contested leadership of the state PDP pitched Shema with other party stalwarts. It was a face-off between Shema and a certain clique who felt they must call the shot. This clique forgot that as the governor, and in tandem with party principles, Shema as governor is the leader of the party in […]

Again, the hotly contested leadership of the state PDP pitched Shema with other party stalwarts. It was a face-off between Shema and a certain clique who felt they must call the shot. This clique forgot that as the governor, and in tandem with party principles, Shema as governor is the leader of the party in the state. Those who knew the situation asserted that Shema could not have done better by acting to the true spirit of PDP constitution on issues bothering on party leadership and its tenure.

That leadership not only overstayed their tenure, members of that sacked exco were not competent to lead the party in the state given the state’s high education profile. How does it sound that half illiterates are leading a big party like the PDP in a state that produced the most powerful president in Africa? Not only that, the PDP in Katsina State not only stagnated, but suffered gross indiscipline, wantonly mismanaged and reduced to the appendage of some people who think if not them it cannot be other people. Yet this is supposed to be a democracy. Today the state PDP is one big family. I think Shema should be commended for keeping the party as one single body.

On the contentious PDP presidential primaries, Governor Shema once more came in the eye of the storm. His offence was because he acted to keep the tradition going. Katsina State is not known to be in opposition of the party at the centre. Right from the beginning, it has been with the establishment. It is based on this that its indigenes have enjoyed juicy appointments at the federal level including the Presidency of late Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua. Would this have been possible if the past government were to be of the opposition? This is not to talk of the likes of Generals Shehu Musa Yar’adua, Hassan Usman Katsina and Muhammadu Buhari.

Those behind the latest round of attack of Governor Shema lost sight of certain virtues of democracy – the right to associate with anybody of your choice politically if such actions are not injurious to the welfare of the people and do not constitute security risk. It also about freedom of choice and right to association. Allowing the status quo to remain, given the state’s antecedent of being with the centre is in the best interest of the state and her people, except if it want to sacrifice the enviable patronage it enjoys well and above other northern states.

What is it that the people want or, put in it another way, does Katsina as a state needs? Is it anything other than the physical development of the state and her people? As the current emir rightly attested to, Shema is performing according to expectation.

I think Katsinawas would do themselves a lot of favour if they elect the present administration for another term in office. Honestly, it does not matter who the president is as far as Shema remains the governor.

Hassan writes from Kofar Sauri, Katsina