Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aliyu Wamakko, Murtala Nyako and Sule Lamido, when they visited Dr. Alex Ekwueme Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso emphasised the relevance of he and his colleagues to the future of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when he spoke in parables in an interview. According to him, “If you’re talking of the field marshal in Jigawa State (Malam Sule Lamido) you cannot talk of small and smaller politicians. If you’re going to Jigawa, you have to reach Kano. In Kano, we are not only putting on red collars, we’re putting on red caps. Now, you are talking of the professor in Sokoto (Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko), and you are saying that negatively? Not to talk of the mullah in Kebbi (Governor Dakingari). So also, the leader of northern politics in Minna (Alhaji Aliyu Babangida). We’re not even talking of the admiral (Nyako) in Adamawa State, and the Director-General in Kwara State, and many other leaders that are there.” Governor Kwankwaso made this remark in June shortly after Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi was suspended from the party and the subsequent free-for-all in Rivers. Since then, five of the six governors mentioned above have formed a league of ‘governors who visit past presidents,’ raising an alarm over what they termed as a dangerous trend in the ruling party. Speaking further on what is imperative for the party, the governors argued that, “This is the time to reconcile. This is the time to talk like leaders. In politics, everybody has limitations. Even the highest office has its own limitations, and unless you recognise that and put it into practice, you will continue to have problems. In politics you have to make your decking high enough to accommodate everybody. When you bring down the decking, all the tall and big people cannot enter. You will end up with dwarfs who cannot help, because nobody would want to come in. They would not come in, because even if you would want to come in, you cannot stand up. You have to get people of timber and calibre in this country; you have to cut across the country to succeed. In leadership, you have to do politics with your friends, you have to do politics with your perceived enemies, you have to do politics with everybody. There are people who have worked so hard for the party over the years (many of us joined politics before PDP). There are people who are older than you in the party. You have to listen to these people.” Since they began their phenomenal visits to past Nigerian presidents, they have met at least seven of them, namely, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General Theophilus Danjuma, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, and Chief Alex Akwueme. They are expected to meet General Yakubu Gowon this week. These past leaders are associated with the PDP, and it is believed that the governors did not visit General Muhammadu Buhari because this former Head of State is a chieftain of the recently registered All Progressives Congress (APC). Strangely, these governors have kept sealed lips on their discussions with the past presidents. On a few occasions, Governor Murtala Nyako has made a controversial remark on the crisis in the PDP thus: “People are saying that the PDP is dead or about to die but a concerned person like me will remain in the party till it dies and give it a befitting burial. If PDP will die, let it die in our hands so that we will give it a befitting burial and mourn it. You should understand that our visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo was not only in our capacity as PDP members but out of our concern to provide panacea to the ailment currently bedevilling the party. That is why we are making moves to involve elder statesmen in our consultations.” Though they would not disclose openly what they discussed with Nigeria’s past presidents, an aide who accompanied one of the governors on the tours disclosed to our reporter that the governors impressed on these statesmen that if they didn’t intervene in the power struggle in the PDP ahead of 2015, the country’s hard-earned democracy would be endangered. “They want these past presidents to be involved in the process of choosing who flies the party’s ticket in 2015 through a kind of consensus which was reached in Jos in 1998, which produced Obasanjo as the party’s flag bearer in 1999”, the aide said. Sunday Trust learnt that the governors, most of whom are serving their last term as Chief Executives of their states, told the former presidents that there was a deal between the governors and Jonathan in 2010, a deal which Governor Aliyu Babangida of Niger State, referred to earlier in the year , as being binding on all the parties. The aide also disclosed,“The governors are opposed to an automatic ticket for President Jonathan in 2015, as is being canvassed by a section of the country. They want the PDP to maintain the tradition in which governors control the party structure in states, accusing Bamanga Tukur of implementing an agenda to create division in the PDP at the party level. They gave examples of what occurred in Adamawa and Rivers States, and pointed out that such measures were being replicated in several other states, where the president is not comfortable with the governors.” Our reporter learnt further that the governors wanted the election of Governor Rotimi Amaechi as the Nigerian Governors Forum Chairman recognised by the PDP, and the suspension Amaechi from the party reversed unconditionally. Despite the fact that most of Kwankwaso’s lieutenants have avoided giving a straightforward answer to the aforementioned questions, one of his media aides, Jafar Jafar, said his boss is into the G-5 for the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. “Anything you see His Excellency does is for the interest of the people. He is a man of principles who believes in the development of Nigeria and Nigerians. There is nothing personal in his involvement in the ongoing efforts of the five governors. “You would agree with me that so many things are going wrong in our country. Therefore, we need people of courage who can take the bull by the horn to see that those things are corrected. That is what my boss and his colleagues want to achieve; nothing more. “It is not about personal interest but it is about Nigeria. You can’t expect somebody who believes in the people of Nigeria to fold his hands and watch while Nigeria needs his input to correct some wrongs that are going on. “His Excellency is somebody who believes in involving in anything that would be good for this country and her people,” Ja’afar said. However, the Presidency does not see these governors as being engaged on a mission to rescue the country, as Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati argued in an interview. To him, democracy is not, in any way, endangered in Nigeria. In an interview with Sunday Trust, Dr Abati said, “President Jonathan is a committed democrat who truly believes in the efficacy of consultations, collaboration, dialogue and consensus-building. He constantly consults with the state governors on matters of national interest whether or not they belong to his party. There is no communication gap between the President and the governors at any time as his doors and channels of communication are always open to them without restriction. The five governors you speak of met with the President recently and had ample opportunity to share their worries and concerns with him. President Jonathan also did his best to address such concerns. “The process of dialogue and communication between the President and the governors is continuous and beneficial to the nation. President Jonathan does his best to promote and foster the process as a national problem-solving mechanism for the resolution of difficulties and the clarification of grey areas. He will continue to do so. However, why five Governors again out of 36? Why do you suggest that they alone must be “properly informed” to use your words? Politicians should be joined together by the politics of ideology and commitment as defined in the Nigerian Constitution. When that fails, what you have is the politics of the stomach. It is for the five Governors to learn to work together with other Governors and stakeholders either at the level of the Nigerian Governors Forum or the PDP Governors Forum.” Can past presidents help the governors? The governors have been taking their cause and demands to former heads for what they called “political consultations.” The prelude of their itineray was a visit, on Tuesday July 16, 2013, by Lamido, Kwankwaso, Aliyu Babangida and Murtala Nyako to their Rivers State colleague and chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Rotimi Amaechi, in solidarity over a recent crisis in the Rivers State House of Assembly. A week earlier, five members of the House, believed to be loyal to President Jonathan, had attempted to impeach the Speaker and Amaechi loyalist, Hon. Otelemaba Amachree in a move that turned violent. That visit unsettled the Presidency. At a press conference barely a week after the visit, Senior Special Assistant to the president on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, described the visit as a “political move clearly intended to create fear, despair and sense of apprehension among the citizenry”. The governors had their sight set on higher grounds, in a phased tour to former heads of state, a former vice-president and Danjuma, as they began deliberations on their resolve. Their first port of call was the residence of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, whom they visited on Saturday 20 July, 2103. They told journalists they were at Obasanjo’s residence to “consult him on very important matters.” The important matters, as Sunday Trust gathered, were the same demands they were to later discuss with other former heads they have been visiting. How Obasanjo will influence the outcome of their demands, however, remains to be seen. The former president did play a huge role in Jonathan’s emergence as president, though the two men no longer enjoy the best of political romance. Governors Lamido, Nyako and Babangida are regarded as Obasanjo’s boys and their continued loyalty to him massages his ego. The former president, a retired general, ensured the emergence of Nyako, a retired vice-admiral as governor of Adamawa State in 2007. Obasanjo also appointed Lamido as Foreign Affairs Minister from 1999-2003 and was largely active in Lamido’s victory as governor of Jigawa State in 2007. Babangida is also very politically close to Obasanjo in whose administration he once served as permanent secretary. Though Obasanjo may no longer be the country’s president and chairman of the PDP board of trustees, his influence in the party remains commanding. Both the Jonathan and Governors 5 camps realise this and have been wooing him. The governors were also at Obasanjo’s Hilltop residence on the same day President Jonathan visited the old man, ushered in as the president was exiting. Obasanjo’s vindictiveness is legendary; Jonathan is not unlikely to be a victim of it in this drama. Two days later, the four governors, this time joined by Wammako, were in Minna, Niger State, to visit former military president, Babangida and former head of state, Abubakar. Babangida has not really been vocal on his appraisal and support or otherwise of the Jonathan administration. He has, however, since the Umar Yar’Adua administration, been favourably disposed to a president from the north. In 2011, when Jonathan moved to contest the presidential election, Babangida formed the Northern Elders Committee to rally the north towards working for the emergence of a PDP candidate from the north. This time, the Governors 5 may well be the beneficiaries of Babangida’s line of political thought. Abubakar has been publicly apolitical, adroitly masking whatever political sympathy he may have for any of the political parties. It is believed in some quarters Major Hamza al-Mustapha was released to counter whatever political leaning Abdusalam might have for the five governors in case their opposition to Jonathan’s 2015 ambition persists. Al-Mustapha is believed to possess vital information about Abubakar that could put the latter in check. Abubakar is not expected to publicly show his political hand in this unfolding drama, as has been his wont. On Tuesday, July 30, it was the turn of second republic executive president, Alhaji Shagari to be visited by Lamido, Kwankwaso, Nyako and the host governor, Wammako. A wise elder and gentleman, the former president has never publicly demonstrated any sentiment for or against any candidate, although he attends state functions. Even if he is swayed by the argument of the governors in favour of a northern governor, he won’t be one to declare it publicly. Their insistence that Jonathan honour an agreement he allegedly made that he would go for only one term could just convince Shagari to back them, as it could Babangida and Abdulsalami. The four governors were also hosted by former Chief of Defence Staff, retired general, Danjuma and erstwhile vice-president to Shagari, Ekwueme on Saturday August 3 in Abuja in continuation of their consultation. Danjuma was once a strong pillar of the PDP but appears disinterested in the party’s affairs these days. He is patron of the Middle Belt Forum, a body that supports President Jonathan’s re-election ambition. It is not clear how strong is Danjuma’s political attachment to the Forum and how that would influence his personal support for Jonathan. Danjuma is reputed for his independent-mindedness. Ekwueme is a respected elder in the PDP and is close to President Jonathan. Many leaders of the South East, where Ekwueme hails from, have declared their support for Jonathan for 2015. The former VP has not given any indication which camp he belongs to, though. With the position of the leading South East PDP members in favour of Jonathan, Ekwueme is not likely to wield any remarkable power within the party. that could advance the cause of the governors. The five governors are expected to visit former head of state, retired general, Yakubu Gowon this week. Gowon, a Christian, has also not been politically active. It would be difficult to say whether he would be completely neutral in this face-off or he would play his support covertly. POWER AND AMBITION OF G-5 GOVERNORS Each of the governors on the tour is, by no means, a heavyweight in northern politics. For instance, Governor Kwankwaso’s faction of the PDP in Kano State has become a phenomenon. With the Kwankwasiya movement, his popularity has risen beyond measure, to the point that chapters of Kwakwasiya are being formed several other states in the North-West. Our correspondent has monitored some jingles aired in the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Kaduna sponsored by Kaduna state Kwankwasiya youth wing. It was also observed that some people in Zaria, Katsina and even Jigawa now adorn themselves with the Kwankwasiya attire of red cap and white clothe. Is this development showing that the Kwankwasiya ideology is gaining ground in some parts of the north? If it is, then the PDP and the presidency have a Herculean task to bring down Kwankwaso and his co-travellers to size. Though he has denied it, Governor Kwankwaso is seen as one of the presidential aspirants in the PDP, come 2015, and he seems to have the backing of some chieftains of the party, among them former President Obasanjo. In Jigawa State, Governor Lamido stands tall in the polity. Lamido’s reason of joining the G-5 may be in the open as he is believed to be the person enjoying the support of Obasanjo to emerge as PDP presidential candidate in 2015 with Rivers state governor, Amaechi, as running mate. This development is also believed to be among the strong reasons that fetched Amaechi against the presidency. Despite the scandals that his son was involved in recently over money laundering, Lamido is banking on the modest achievement he has recorded during his about seven years in office as Jigawa state governor. It is not clear if the other four governors in the G-5 have agreed to support Lamido’s undeclared political ambition. But Lamido’s ambition in the G-5 struggle is obviously that of becoming Nigerian’s president. Before the 2011 presidential election, Lamido was among the northern governors that Obasanjo allegedly wanted to serve as running mate to President Jonathan, but Lamido was reported to have prefered to remain as governor of his state. He’s seen as Obasanjo’s choice for president in 2015, and posters pairing him with Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State for the polls have created a stir in the PDP. On his part, Governor Nyako is having a running battle with the PDP, as the National Chairman, Alhaji Tukur seems to have divided the governor’s political estate with the formation of a faction loyal to “Abuja politicians.” In spite of being on the tour, visiting former presidents, it seems that his days in the PDP are numbered, as some of his political associates have begun to jump ship into the recently registered APC. Only at the weekend, posters of the governor appeared on the walls in Yola, saying that he is seeking the Presidency of the country, come 2015. However, his associates have denied that insinuation. The governor of Niger State, who was touted to have indicated interest in the presidency, come 2015, is courageous and vocal about the deal between governors and Jonathan. Though Governor Aliyu is in control of the PDP in his state, he has to contend with the influence of Professor Jerry Gana, a die-hard supporter of Jonathan for President in 2015. No doubt, he cannot be a push-over when it comes to influencing voters to cast their ballot papers in any particular direction in 2015. The fifth governor, Alhaji Wamakko of Sokoto State, has proved that he is in control of the party in his state. When he was suspended by Tukur in June for criticising Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, Wamakko demonstrated that he had massive support when a mammoth crowd received him at the airport on his return from abroad. In Sokoto PDP, he and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal are seen as the stronghold that would determine the disposition of the state in any election. It is for the above that these governors and several others who think like them matter and would become a force to reckon with as the power game toward 2015 intensifies. OF WHAT IMPORTANCE ARE THE VISITS? Mr Daniel Onjeh, a politician based in Benue State, said there is nothing progressive about the activities of the five governors, explaining that they are rather running to some of the architects of Nigeria’s woes, than try to meet with nationalists to work towards solving Nigeria’s current leadership crisis. Onjeh, the 2011 Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibbo Federal candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), said he feared for the activities of the five governors because they have only succeeded in progressing the entrenchment of what he called “kingmaker democracy.)” “Running to IBB, Obasanjo and Abdulsalami means that the five governors are saying we cannot do without these three and their type. They are telling us that kingmaker democracy has come to stay. But 2015 elections are going to be a different ball game; that is the destination where we are headed to, where Nigerians will count, and not where godfathers and kingmakers will sit it in their mansions and decide for us with phone calls.” .
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 16:32:24 +0000
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