Kebbi gubernatorial election: Why Sarkin Yaki lost
Top of the reasons why Bello Sarkin Yaki lost the gubernatorial election was the perception that he was President Goodluck Jonathan’s man. Whether inside or outside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the North West had remained implacably opposed to Jonathan’s re-election ambition, not only because he was seen as a usurper (having disregarded his party’s […]
Top of the reasons why Bello Sarkin Yaki lost the gubernatorial election was the perception that he was President Goodluck Jonathan’s man. Whether inside or outside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the North West had remained implacably opposed to Jonathan’s re-election ambition, not only because he was seen as a usurper (having disregarded his party’s zoning principle upon the demise of President Umaru Yar’adua) but also because of his legendary incompetence. Jonathan’s continuing flip-flop on important national issues has after all earned him the sobriquet “The Clueless.” The President’s inability to respect democratic principles as in his 16 is greater than 19 philosophy vis-à-vis the leadership of the Nigerian Governors Forum, his failure to provide electricity or security; his attempt to use soldiers and other security personnel to steal the elections in Ekiti and Osun, his unnecessary deployment of soldiers on highways in the North West (seen as army of occupation) which culminated in the murder in Zaria of many followers of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky, including his three brilliant sons, the irresponsible utterances of his aides and cronies, etc, all conspired to make Jonathan the most hated leader in the eyes of the people here. Since Sarkin Yaki was perceived as someone mobilised from Aso Villa to go and win election for the outgoing president, the people refused to vote for him. Notwithstanding Jonathan’s key appointments of the likes of Lt General Aliyu Muhammed Gusau rtd, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), Suleiman Abba and Sarkin Yaki himself, among other prominent persons from the geo-political zone, the people of the North West were determined to see the back of Jonathan by any means necessary.
There’s another reason Sarkin Yaki lost: the parallel primary elections that Peoples Democratic Party ran in Kebbi created animosity among the party’s gubernatorial aspirants. While a gubernatorial primary election involving all the aspirants was underway at Haliru Abdu sports ground, some party chieftains hurriedly organised another one at the Birnin Kebbi race course where they declared Sarkin Yaki as the victorious candidate. The remaining aspirants rejected what they saw as imposition and began to sabotage Sarkin Yaki’s declared candidature. The bitter struggle for the ticket culminated in the exit from PDP of Maj. General MD Isah (rtd), Zubairu Turaki and the immediate past state chairman of the party, Mansur Shehu, among others, who all defected to the All Progressives Party (APC). Following from this, the APC continued to attract other displeased PDP members from Jega, Kamba, Kangiwa, Zuru. If the PDP had any unity of purpose, this turmoil and depletion of membership had eroded it. Subsequently, there was loss of confidence in the party and antagonistic suspicion about who was committed to the victory of the party and who wasn’t. Nigerian political history has repeatedly shown close connection between rancorous primary elections and crashed political ambitions. During the Third Republic, it was the Social Democratic Party’s ruinous primary election which pitched Dapo Sarumi against Yomi Edu that cracked the party and handed over easy gubernatorial victory to Sir Michael Otedola of the National Republican Convention (NRC) “so that Lagos may excel.“ Even in Kebbi, the bad blood that followed Alhaji Garba Koko’s acrimonious and astonishing loss of the PDP primary election to Col Bello Kaliel (rtd) significantly helped Alhaji Muhammed Adamu Aliero of the then All Peoples Party to win the gubernatorial election of 1999.
The mutual suspicion inside the PDP couldn’t even allow the party to mount an effective campaign with the much needed unity of purpose. Even Governor Sa’idu Nasamu was said to have secretly opposed Jonathan’s re-election and generally maintained a desultory and ambivalent attitude towards the campaign of his would-be successor.
Sarkin Yaki’s combustible remarks didn’t help matters either. At a meeting with a cross section of Kebbi elites resident in Abuja which he called to solicit support, Sarkin Yaki’s sudden attack on General Muhammadu Buhari’s military and political credentials totally confounded his listeners; why would someone aspiring to govern the rural state of Kebbi go out of his way to assail the records of the North’s undisputed natural leader destined to be Nigeria’s president? This was surely a tactical but crooked manoeuvre. Back home in Kebbi, Sarkin Yaki was also caught on camera boasting in the midst of unfriendly youths that as an army general, he feared no one. Any wonder, all through his campaign stops, Sarkin Yaki was confronted by stone throwing youths singing hostile songs.
Nonetheless, Sarkin Yaki is a brilliant military officer of whom the people of Kebbi State are proud, even if they didn’t find him suitable to be their civilian governor. From his days as a cadet, Military Assistant to former Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Ishaya Bamaiyi (when he singlehandedly nominated military governors and ministers), peacekeeping officer in Bosnia, Commander, JTF in Yenagoa, GOC 82nd Division, Enugu and Head, Counter-Terrorism Centre, Maj General Bello Sarkin Yaki has been chivalrous in all duties assigned.
But as he’s found out the hard way, in the treacherous terrain of politics, there’s no court martial for disloyal politicians; political language itself has to be learnt, sometimes from school dropout leeches, and battles whether military, led by, say Murtala Muhammed or electoral, with General Muhammadu Buhari at the head, could be lost several times before the war is won.