What does Gov. Sule Lamido want?

While the north actively supported the power sharing arrangement to the letter, which produced Jonathan as Vice President to the late President Yar’adua, Dr. Jonathan is now acting unfaithfully to the political agreement that shot him into the nation’s highest public office. The ordinary northerners would have expected their leaders to be consistent and firm […]

While the north actively supported the power sharing arrangement to the letter, which produced Jonathan as Vice President to the late President Yar’adua, Dr. Jonathan is now acting unfaithfully to the political agreement that shot him into the nation’s highest public office. The ordinary northerners would have expected their leaders to be consistent and firm about their stand on this issue. Instead, leaders like Sule Lamido are insulting the intelligence of their people about the zoning controversy. What they privately tell their people is different from their actions in public or when they are before President Jonathan. And this is the real source of irritation and embarrassment for their people who expected their leaders to have the courage of conviction on any issue.

Governor Sule Lamido has frequently attacked the 17-member northern political consensus committee, led by Malam Adamu Ciroma, insisting that they were not appointed by the PDP or northern people. He forgot all the things he had told the northern  presidential aspirants when they paid him courtesy visits to solicit  for his support. As soon as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was announced as consensus candidate, Governor Sule Lamido has been shuttling between Ota farm and other places with the purpose of frustrating the consensus option. He has been shuttling in chartered planes travelling from one place to another to organize intrigues against his own people. It is apparent that he is negotiating with President Jonathan to assure his second term ambition even if means sacrificing zoning to achieve that objective.

Governor Lamido openly boasts as the disciple of the late Malam Aminu Kano, the radical northern politician who was widely respected for his principals, humility and altruism. Aminu Kano was never known to be speaking with a forked tongue as Lamido seems to be doing. The late Aminu Kano would tell you where he stood on any issue even if the heavens might fall. In fact, moral cowardice was never in Aminu  Kano’s dictionary. If truly Lamido and other latter-day disciples of  Aminu Kano believe in his principles, they would  not be playing the politics of double speak. He who praises himself needs no flatterers! It is therefore, not enough for Lamido to be brandishing Aminu Kano’s name when his actions in practice contradict the principles for which the late P.R.P leader stood.

Leaders like Lamido can no longer to be trusted to protect the interest of the north. Rather than condemnation, men like Malam Adamu Ciroma should be commended for their courage to stand up and oppose the breach an agreement that promoted unity in the country. Despite his closeness to former President Obasanjo, Malam Ciroma parted ways with the General because he believes rightly that Obasanjo’s repudiation zoning was in bad faith. If Adamu Ciroma had wanted money or political favour from the government, he would have walked up to president Jonathan to name  his price in return for supporting the abandonment of zoning. But he didn’t do so because his convictions are more important to him than personal rewards. Let Lamido be reminded that it is better to die with glory than live with dishonor.

Gumel is of No. 38, Blantyre Street, Wuse II, Abuja (E-mail: [email protected])