Politics has called me

“Da ban shiga siyasa ba da na mutu jahili”, meaning “if I had not gone into politics, I would have died ignorant.” –Attributed to the Great Shehu Yar’adua and to Senator Dalhatu Tafida.   I can categorically tell you that writing about politics is not the same as the practical situation in the field. It is […]

“Da ban shiga siyasa ba da na mutu jahili”, meaning “if I had not gone into politics, I would have died ignorant.”

–Attributed to the Great Shehu Yar’adua and to Senator Dalhatu Tafida.

 

I can categorically tell you that writing about politics is not the same as the practical situation in the field. It is like dancing to the music of architecture instead of studying the drawing plan on the table.

I thank God for the opportunity to take part in an unprecedented direct primary election, in which ADC party members simultaneously voted for four elective positions—President, Governor, House of Representatives (HoR), and House of Assembly. I won the nomination ticket for the House of Representatives in the Sabon Gari Local Government constituency.

Alhamdulillah. We believed that only Allah could grant us victory, and He did.

I must emphasise that the election was conducted without anyone being hurt, unlike what happened during the APC affirmation primaries, where two people died in Jushi Ward and several others sustained life-threatening injuries. We commend the Area Commander of Sabon Gari and his three DPOs for Samaru, Sabon Gari and Kasuwan Mata police stations. We also commend the eleven election committee members, including Bashir Ibrahim, Ibrahim Sidi Bamalli, Hon. Kabiru Ajuji, Dr Salihu Lukman, Abdullahi Chiromawa, Dr Ladan Salihu and others.

I am also grateful to Isa Ashiru’s Director for the primary elections, Hon. Bashir Ibrahim Sakadadi, who follows the principle of “aiki da hankali yafi aiki da agogo”, meaning that working with wisdom is better than working to the clock. Surely, he is a man of great wisdom. One must have a learning difficulty to spend time with him without learning a few political tricks. We were very lucky that he took the time to build a formidable team that won us the primaries.

I must thank the committee members, too. The Chairman is the former Commissioner for Education, Hon. Abubakar D. Umar, and the Secretary is the former Hanwa Ward Councillor, Hon. Yusuf Garba (Gado), nominated by Hon. Ibrahim Bello Ate. The latter is a seasoned politician who stepped down from his ambition to run for the HoR. Other former Ward Councillors and Party Excos on the team include Hon. Aisha Yusuf, Inusa Boy, Muhammadu Zabi, Auwal Rabah, Auwal Mai Shago, Dalhatu Dambo, and Dahiru Mohammed (SLA to Senator Lawal). Also, the former LG council administrators, Dr Umar Sani and Dr Kasimu.

I remain grateful to Hon. Atafarfasa and his media team, including Sarki (Maikano), Umar Tongas, Umar Tela, Musa Tama, Ibrahim Balarabe, Wazirin Chikaji, Thaddeus Nnameka, Madam Patience, Hajiya Amina, Bilya, Habibu, Aliyu Kwarbai, Sahanunu, Hamza Rantopoligist and the women leaders from various Wards. Equally, a group of academics played vital roles in providing strategic guidance, including Dr Adamu Ashiru Kudan, Hajiya Binta, Ismail Sahabi, MD Umar, Auwal Babanyara, Prof Aminu BZ, and Prof Halliru. From the UK, US, and Canada: Dr Nura Isah, Dr Abdullahi (Minister), Dr Abubakar & Yusuf Sha’aban, and many others. A book about our journey one day will surely make for good reading.

But the direct consequence of my winning is that I must relinquish my position as a Daily Trust columnist. I feel it is unfair to our readers, yet it is company policy that we must all follow. The consolation is that we are pursuing a bigger goal—entering active politics.

I had the chance to write for the Daily Trust after my late father advised me to contact Mr Sonala Olumhense. As the gentleman he was, he connected me with the then Editor-in-Chief, Mal. Naziru Mika’ilu. It was Naziru who encouraged me to add a political perspective to my writing. The style worked perfectly for me as I could express myself openly when I began as a biweekly opinion columnist before settling into my weekly columns. I mostly enjoy writing about contemporary issues using data, mixing it with economic theories and spicing it up with Orwellian language.

But my story about Daily Trust cannot end without mentioning Mal. Yusuf Zango, who mentored me in journalism ethics. He held my hand throughout and never demanded perfection; he made me understand that we are only human.

My columns generated responses from all classes of readers, from the elites down to the working class. My brother, Umar Yakubu, never liked my political writing style. He prefers that I remain the cautious academic that I am, living in Cardiff. But our childhood friend—Ibrahim Salihu Markarfi—disagreed. He thought I was a full-blown politician. I initially disagreed with him, but I eventually began discussing politics with elites—past Governors, NSAs, Ministers, Emirs, etc.

My perspective did not change until Hon. Isa Ashiru told me “ba’a siyasa a daki”, meaning politics is not done inside a room. Since then, I decided to take the necessary steps to become more active in politics. Yes, I picked up the term “active politics” from our elder, Dan Galadiman Zazzau, when I went to seek his blessing.

To be clear, I have the full support of my entire paternal family and my maternal family too, including my late Uncle Mouftah Baba-Ahmed—may Allah’s Mercy continue to be with him. Wherever I go, I remind people that I am not in politics to disgrace my family’s name, and I mean it. I pray never to be tested. I also maintain the rule of never pushing too hard to convince people to support us; those who know me do not need such effort, and I cannot wake someone pretending to be asleep. Those who followed us during the primaries can attest that we won them without compromising our principles.

To my readers, I promise we will bring real change to Nigerian politics. We will be in the House to make laws and fearlessly challenge the system to ensure accountability across all tiers of government. In doing so, we will bring professionalism to Nigerian politics, where politicians uphold integrity, tell voters the truth, and keep their promises. Quoting Hon. Dalhatu Dambo’s famous saying, “kowa yace babu amana a siyasa to kan shi yake magana.” Meaning: Anyone claiming there is no trust in politics is exposing their own lack of integrity, not the nature of politics.

I can also assure readers that my entry into active politics will not prevent me from writing. My elder, Galadiman Ruwan Zazzau, suggested that I compile the declassified letters of the Governor-General of Northern Nigeria before independence into a book. It is in the pipeline, and it will surely contribute to the literature on national development.

Until then, I bid farewell to theory; it is time for practical.