POLITICS TODAY

By Aminu Mohammed

For overstretching an incumbent governor to a marginal figure of 342 in a contest the APC was believed to have won and by claiming more than half of the votes cast, what would make a party to substitute its winning flag bearer?
Unless the APC is not poised to take over power in Sokoto otherwise, there is no basis to allow any other aspirant to even think of vying except to fulfil a constitutional requirement of allowing individuals to exercise their constitutional and fundamental rights.
However, even fundamental rights have limits and individuals, especially greedy politicians, should learn to accept reality. Why would the APC change a candidate who in 2019 performed excellently well by becoming the first ever governorship candidate in Nigeria to have contested against a sitting governor who was his immediate past boss and drove the contest to an inconclusive manner?
Whatever reasons others might advance, the bottom line in any contest is success and success comes through winning. The APC performed well in 2019 with Ahmed Aliyu as its candidate and that performance should be built upon by allowing the same candidate who narrowly missed been declared a winner to continue from where he stopped.
Any genuine party member should support the aspirations of the 2019 candidate because those aspiring to contest against him are all birds of the same feather. They are not different from him in terms of human relations. There are those who accuse him of not ralating well with others but how many of the aspirants are not guilty on that accusation? How many of them stay in Sokoto after every election and how many impact on the daily survival of those they now want their votes? In Sokoto there are only two politicians, Wamakko and others. Wamakko is the only politician in Sokoto and the entire northwest who relate with the downtrodden at all times. He mingles with the disabled of all kinds and assist them, he dines with different categories of people everyday and that is why he is the politician he is today. Is there any other like him among the APC aspirants that are accusing him of imposing an unpopular candidate on them? Where were they when the same “unpopular candidate” they are alleging gave governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal the greatest shocking political nightmeres that would haunt him till eternity?
Some say, it is time for their zone to produce the next governor while others believe they are better than Ahmed Aliyu politically, but politics is about numbers and in 2019 Ahmed Aliyu got the needed numbers which stretched the contest to an inconclusive level and he got the highest votes in the second round only for the APC to be robbed by ” so many variables”.
Among the APC aspirants challenging the suitability and popularity of the 2019 candidate, how many of them possess political credentials than the former deputy governor?
Of all the 7 contestants, who among them has political credentials that can match someone who has been deputy governor for 3 years and an active and vibrant commissioner for 8 years having been an accountant and director of finance in several government offices?
There is greed and envy going by the campaign of calumny against Ahmed Aliyu and the earlier the APC addresses this raging envy the better for it’s chances in 2023. Those claiming zoning should know that it is not constitutional and those claiming they are better than His Excellency, Ahmed Aliyu should tell us why they deserve our votes. Who among them can convince and show the people his legacy as a representative either as minister, ambassador or National Assembly member? As a commissioner for social welfare, he initiated the Annual Ramadan Feeding which has been helping Muslim faithfuls who are financially handicapped to break their fast without going to bed on empty stomach. That alone is a legacy worth commending. Again, as a commissioner, he initiated the SKILLS ACQUISITION PROGRAMME which has today graduated hundreds of youths that were hitherto unemployed. This scheme covered all the 23 local governments in the state. Women were not left behind as various palliatives were introduced with the aim of assisting women to be self reliant and hundreds of girls were rescued from roaming the streets through those palliatives such as free sewing machines and fridges while most of them through the Skill Acquisition Scheme were trained on how to manufacture different types of soaps creams and so many things.
If as a commissioner he would do all those things to develop the state, why would there be doubts on such a man with foresight to do more when elected as a governor? People should withdraw their greed and envy and support CONTINUITY.
The APC slogan for the 2023 governorship election should be based on CONTINUITY. The 2019 candidate should be given a second chance and based on the outcome of his previous performance, the APC should have faith in him and re. present him to the public who gave him an overwhelming support and are willing to do same next year.
The Mandate is once again, on CONTINUITY the people Stand!
Those arguing that Ahmed Aliyu cannot win election without Wamakko should answer this question, Who Among the other 6 aspirants can win election in the APC without Wamakko? Can Farouku Malami Yabo go solo and win election in Sokoto or is it Yusuf Suleiman? Can Senator Gobir campaign in all the 23 local government areas and convince the electorates or is it Hon. Salame or Abubakar Gada?. There is no aspirant in the APC as of now who can finance and take part in any governorship election without Wamakko’s support. That is the reality.
If Ahmed Aliyu is seen as dependant on Wamakko, the same goes for others in the race. Wamakko is therefore a big factor in the emergence of any APC aspirant. Elders always say what an elder sees while sitting, no matter how a child stands and jumps up, he would not be able to see it. The call for Direct Primaries by the other 6 aspirants in the race was out of frustration and greed but they know is practically impossible. What they should seek for is a level playing ground. Whatever the outcome may be, there would be 6 losers and just one winner on May 26, 2022.