Last minute deal with GSL

We all agreed that in me, SIP has got a formidable governorship candidate in Tafki State but our presidential candidate is a non-starter. He is not a serious candidate at all. People are not even talking about him. Even within our party, many people don’t know him. You listen to the radio, no mention of […]

We all agreed that in me, SIP has got a formidable governorship candidate in Tafki State but our presidential candidate is a non-starter. He is not a serious candidate at all. People are not even talking about him. Even within our party, many people don’t know him. You listen to the radio, no mention of him. You open the newspaper, no sign of him. Common posting on Facebook and Twitter which is free of charge, no mention of him. We had to seriously consider what to do so that this man does not drag me down in my own election two weeks after his own.
During our strategy meeting many people said we should not do anything for our candidate in today’s election. We should just allow the man to be soundly defeated. However the chairman of my Governorship Campaign Council Alhaji Gohe warned us. He said we must do our best because if SIP gets paltry votes in Tafki State during today’s election some voters will think the whole party is not serious and that will affect me in the governorship election.
After our so-called presidential candidate’s uneventful visit to Tafki State last week, he phoned from Abuja and began asking us the preparations we are making for this election. He said we should ensure that we put at least one agent in every polling station. He was telling me on the phone, “Get well educated agents, like university students. Mobilise them very well. Make sure they have food. Arrange for transport to take them to the polling stations. Give them pocket money so that they are well motivated.” I said, “Ok, sir.” So we sat down and calculated. There are 14 local governments, 147 wards and 2,500 polling stations in Tafki State. If we hire 3,000 agents, give each one of them N2,000 for food and transport and N2,000 pocket money that comes to N12 million, for agents alone.
After we finished the calculation Alhaji Gohe picked up the phone and called our National Secretary. He said, “Sir, we need N12 million for the agents. Then we need N2 million for policemen, N3 million for INEC officers, N1 million for transportation and N2 million for our party officials on special election duty.  Can I text to you our account number because we need the money quickly in order to prepare very well for the election.” The chairman told him that the presidential candidate said he should go to me and collect the money.
When Alhaji Gohe told me this, I was very angry so I picked up the phone and called the presidential candidate. I said, “Sir, you said they should come to me and collect money. Did you give me any money to keep for you?” He said no, but that it is my duty to finance the election as the governorship candidate and party leader in Tafki State. I said, “Is this not your election? Are you not the presidential candidate? You should send money for your own election and when it is time for my own election in two weeks’ time I will bring the money for that one.”
The man now said, “You know I am the owner of this party. I formed it, here in my house. I sat down single handedly and coined its name, wrote its constitution and manifesto, adopted its logo and motto, designed its colours and went to INEC and registered it. Were you there when I registered it? Do you know the suffering I went through and the amount of money I spent before I registered it? You were there in ESEP and when they defeated you in the primaries and you had nowhere to go, you came to SIP and we gave you the governorship ticket. How much did you give us? Now because we are telling you to make your own contribution to the election you are insulting me, your own party leader and presidential candidate.”
I said, “What is insult there? Just because I said you should bring money for your election? If you win the election, is it me that will become the president? You call yourself a presidential candidate and even money to buy fuel from the black market you don’t have. When you came to Tafki State last week was it not me that gave you money to buy fuel? The hotel you slept in and the food you ate, did you pay for it?” It was Alhaji Gohe who interrupted the angry exchange and said I should leave him, let’s go and make a deal with Get and Spend League, GSL.
We met that night with GSL leaders and said to them, “Look, your presidential candidate is very popular here in Tafki State but our party’s candidate is a non-starter. However, Alhaji is more popular in this state than your governorship candidate. Therefore let us do a deal. We will direct all our supporters to vote for your presidential candidate and you should direct all your supporters to vote for Alhaji during the governorship election.”
GSL’s governorship candidate Alhaji Barmu Dakatsalle wanted to protest but his party officials overruled him. Their chairman said, “This is a very good deal. SIP supporters should help our presidential candidate to win. You Dakatsalle, allow Alhaji to become the governor and you can become the minister.” I was happy with this deal. We are going to kill two birds with one stone. First if all we will not waste our energy on SIP’s non-starter presidential candidate and secondly GSL’s voters will support me in the governorship election. With their support I am very sure of winning.
Haruna Anbuga Anbarka was not there when we sealed this arrangement with GSL leaders. When we told him about it the next day he looked gloomy. He said GSL leaders will take us for a ride, that we will support them in today’s election and they will renege on the deal afterwards. He said GSL’s state chairman Bara’u Marke is unreliable, that even as a labour leader he was once impeached for dishonesty. But the rest of us did not agree with Anbuga Anbarka. We decided to abide by the agreement. That night I brought out N20 million to mobilise our supporters all over Tafki State to vote for GSL’s candidate in today’s presidential election.