By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi
The result of Saturday, the 15th, elections into the thirty four (34) local government councils in Katsina state did not surprise many people, least of all yours sincerely.
In my write up on 25-1-2025, ‘On The Forthcoming Local Government Election In The Home Of Heritage And Hospitality’, some ten days to the elections in Katsina State, I indirectly predicted the outcome of the elections. I spoke of what I termed as ‘kite flying’ by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Malam Mohammed Kaula Ibrahim, in which I argued that, “The usual thing is always to declare the ruling party by the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), as the winner of ALL or most of the contested seats during the local government elections.
“The declared results often go contrary to the popularity of the ruling party. This therefore, ridicules the Governor’s claim to governing with sincerity of purpose, or the sweet-sounding, but sycophantic phrase ‘uncommon’ this ‘uncommon’ that, used by public relations (PR) officials or hired pens, to describe the paymaster or his actions or both.
“Some people argue in favour of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducting the elections. But INEC officials, not unlike this writer, are not saints. Few may, but many may not, be averse to pocketing extra money, regardless of who gave it, and the purpose for which it was given. Besides, it is an open secret that no sitting president or governor ever loses at the election tribunal.
“Which is why judges who prepare their tomorrow (hereafter) to be much better than their love for the glamour and trappings of today (present world), those who are known not to accept bribery from ANYBODY or ANY QUARTERS, are given a wide berth during the choice of the judges who would participate in election tribunals.
“Anyway, let His Excellency, the Governor of Katsina State not asceed to the demands of anybody, be them religious, political or traditional leaders, to favour any candidate. His Excellency should widen, not narrow, the election space, and make the process as fair, transparent, just and credible as possible.
“It would amount to being very unfair of me not to write on this important issue, more so, as yours faithfully, has taken it upon himself to comment on everything under the sun (it would appear), or be the ‘police man’ of the nation at this very material time, when things are going on terribly and horribly wrong, with no apparent hope in sight. Besides, it may even occur to some uncharitable minds that, one might have been ‘SETTLED’ not to write on the issue at all. May God make the candidates that actually care for their people, not their pockets, be victorious. May He also make the Katsina State SIEC do the right thing by conducting a fair, transparent, just and credible elections, where genuine winners will be announced, not PRESELECTED ‘victors’”.
Well, many people are therefore not disappointed, in that their prediction came to pass.
Some people might argue that yours sincerely was there when a similar story unfolded during the local government elections conducted at the time. Well, there I might have been, but was not party to, or even part of any election ever conducted then.
I have said it times without number that my eight years experience in the corridors of power is something that nobody would want to go through with, in their lives working with the power that be. I was in the corridors of power, but not with the power that matters.
To start with, no elections, whether local government, bye election or reelection, had I ever been officially involved by those who were always charged with such matters. As far they were concerned, I did not matter in the scheme of things in the government, and so they therefore completely ignored me.
If there was an election that required my principal to cast vote at his polling place, he would give N250, 000 each to all his aides on the eve of the departure, including myself. Since my polling location was in my corner of the woods, a few kilometers away from the hometown of my boss, I would travel with him, but stopped in my town to cast my vote the following day, with the other members of the media crew travelling with him.
But I never spent a Naira of that money to myself, I used it to prepare a meal on the election day for ‘everyone’ at the polling Center, which was made up of six voting units. The meal was prepared by my younger sister. Also, I purchased whatever eatable or drinkable items were sold at the polling centre on that day. Everything was enjoyed by all without prejudice to what political party they belonged. The polling officials were all the time served FIRST, of course.
The current Chief of Staff to the Governor, Honourable AbdulKadir (Andaje) Nasir, would also give me more money, to add to what the principal had given me. This made me more buoyant. The Chief of Staff should be asked to confirm or deny my claims.
During the second term reelection campaign, during which I was the one who introduced the entourage to all the District Heads in their various palaces, not one Naira was given to me or my office to perform the task at hand. Every time I asked for money to purchase working materials for the campaign, a very important member of the campaign committee, would ask me to “apply”.
Five times did I apply with no success. Every time I followed up on the application, the important member of the committee, in whose office the committee often met, would tell me that my application was missing since “I always waited for the other members to come to take a common decision on anything”. When he asked me to apply again ( for the sixth time), it occured to me, I was wasting my time, and they had no intention of giving me one Naira out of all the money earmarked for the reelection. I was not given a single car either, despite the fact that people like Alhaji Dahiru Bara’u Mangal had contributed with hundreds of assorted vehicles, in addition to the hundreds of millions of Naira that they had given.
That one motor vehicle I requested for an organisation that I founded for my principal, his government and his party. But I was denied the vehicle on the ground that, “there are 2,000 of such organisations in the state, and your own cannot be favoured over the others”, the important campaign committee member told me to my face.
Anyway, in terms of Islamic and Christian knowledge, power, wealth, goodness, badness, meanness, adjucation, conduct of election, greed, and so on and so forth in the country, where are people like the Prime Minister of the country, the Premiers of the regions, former President Shehu Shagari, former Head of state, General Sani Abacha, General Shehu Musa Yar’adua, his famous younger brother, who was a governor before he became President of Nigeria, Malam Umaru Musa Yar’adua, the free giver and acclaimed winner of the June 12th, 1983 Presidential Election, Alhaji Moshood Kashimawo Olawole (MKO) Abiola, Malam Abubakar Gumi, Pastor TB Joshua of the Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN), Alhaji Ahmadu Kurfi, Justice Muhammed Bello, among many others? They are all dead, buried below the ground to bear their crosses.
Where are all those leaders of Africa (some of them dictators who once ruled their countries with iron fits), like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela of South Africa, Sese Seko of Zaire ( now Central African Republic), Idi Amin of Uganda, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, and the like of them? All are with God their maker, waiting to explain how they governed their people, in the temporary world.
Historically, where are the famous Alexander the Great, who was said to have conquered half the world at age of thirty three, but was buried empty handed and alone, and Genghis Khan, the famous ruler of the Mongol Empire, as well as contemporaries like Adolf Hitler of Germany and Benito Mussolini of Italy, to mention a few of them? All are dead, struggling with the burden that was bearing on them.
Someone said that the Nigerian version of Genghis Khan, Sese Seko, Idi Amin, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini (all of them put in one), President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was trying to turn the country into a one party state, by converting many traditional opponents of the ruling APC into members and supporters of the party. Well, let Mr. President turn every house in Nigeria into a member and supporter of the APC, he will still loose the 2027 Presidential Election, because in FUTURE, elections will be decided by the quality of the candidate, not the party he belongs to.
May God make us fear meeting Him, and accounting before Him all that we did while in this temporary world, whether as leaders or as followers.
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