"GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH"
Hausa will say “Allah ya raka taki gona”. This reminds me of a Yoruba adage that says “eni ti kiki re ko yo eni, aiki eni re kole pa eni lebi” meaning, if one’s greetings do not add value into someone’s life by filling his stomach, his non greeting will not take anything from his being or make him hungry.
Today, 29th December, 2017, some ex this and ex that politicians from Kebbi State were led into Aso Rock Villa by the Governor of the State, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Bagudu and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Maina, sorry, Abubakar Malami (SAN) with the intention of declaring their carpet-crossing from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Party, APC in the presence of Mr. President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR).
A drama played out at this gathering that many people did not notice. Mr. President snubbed the ‘gate-crashers’ who wanted to ‘smuggle’ a strange agenda of political decamping into an approved and scheduled courtesy call by a State Governor.
Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari was notified of the courtesy call by the Governor of Kebbi State sometimes in November, 2017 by the Chief of Staff to Mr. President and an appointment was secured and fixed for today 29th December, 2017.
Mr. Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice who is also from Kebbi State ensured from the ‘inside’ that the courtesy call materialized before the end of the year 2017. The meeting actually held with Mr. President in the afternoon on the appointed date and time.
While the Honourable Minister expended words in his welcome address and presentation of the visitors to Mr. President about how PDP was ‘finished’ in Kebbi State with the decamping of the ‘expired' politicians from the PDP to the APC. The response of Mr. President that closed the meeting shocked the group.
Mr. President’s response was focused and tailored on the brief he was given about the courtesy visit which was about the improvement on general security of the State and the bumper harvest of rice and other produce generally. Mr. President expressed his gratitude to Almighty Allah for the good rainy season that culminated in the bumper harvest that contributes to the reduction of importation of rice and beans by about 90%.
Mr. President also informed the visitors about other States like Lagos, Ogun and Ebonyi who are also doing much in promoting agriculture and rice production in particular. Mr. President seized the opportunity to express his confidence in Nigeria attaining food sufficiency very soon. The President’s remark sealed the meeting and the hope of the visitor without dropping a word on the ‘smuggled’ agenda of defectors, defection and carpet crossers of the dead and inconsequential politicians.
When the Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu briefed the press at the end of the meeting in the Villa in the presence of the decampees, he only spoke about security, rice and Nigeria’s early exit from recession ahead of other stronger nations like Russia, France etc. This press briefing without a mention of their unpopular carpet crossing badly robbed on the ego of Dakingari and co-travelers. They were all shocked and properly shamed in front of the television cameras.
Carpet-crossing or cross-carpeting by Nigerian politicians is not a new phenomenon but one that has been with us as a nation since the first republic.
The first recorded incident of carpet crossing was in 1951 in the defunct Western Region House of Assembly when several members of the then NCNC (National Congress of Nigeria and Cameroon) decamped to the old AG (Action Group) overnight. This singular move denied the NCNC the majority in the Western Region House of Assembly thereby clearing the hurdle for the AG (Action Group) to form the government in the defunct region. That was effective carpet-crossing.
The politicking at the tail end of the last administration in Nigeria between 2014 and early 2015 recorded the heaviest cross-carpeting from the then ruling PDP to the newly formed APC. These moves and shuffles were more seen within the two houses of the National Assembly – The Senate and the House of Representatives.
One major cross-carpeting preceding those of the members of the National Assembly was the mass carpet-crossing and defection of numerous juggernauts and political heavy weights of the PDP who had earlier formed the ‘New PDP’ to the All Progressives Congress. The then Turakin Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar led this group. It will however not be forgotten that the now Wazirin Adamawa is fully and officially back to the PDP and more are expected back soon.
Another major move that had more impact than all the aforementioned was the carpet-crossing of five sitting PDP Governors from Adamawa, Sokoto, Kano, Rivers and Kwara States to the All Progressives Congress late in 2014.
However, what happened today 29th December, 2017 where some failed politicians in Kebbi State declared their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party and declaring for the All Progressives Congress is not only inconsequential, valueless and worthless but laughable.
They declared their carpet-crossing at the Airport when they received no audience from Mr. President at the Villa. We all know how people join a political party. It is done from the politician’s ward in his Local Government, not at the Villa in Abuja.
Alhaji Saidu Usman Dakingari and Alhaji Ibrahim K. Aliyu were the immediate past Governor and Deputy Governor of Kebbi State who both lost their Local governments and wards in the 2015 general Election to the APC (then the opposition Party). They had no political value then, they cannot borrow some for themselves now.
Dakingari and his Deputy, K. Aliyu were joined in the ignoble movement by their ‘ex’ Secretary to the State Government, ‘ex’ and former member of House of Representative and his ‘ex’ conduit, Lawali Dakingari who was the ‘defacto’ governor of Kebbi State during the draconian reign of Mr. Dakingari in Kebbi State. Lawali was the ‘Alfa and Omega’ of Dakingari’s government while it lasted. Lawali’s words were laws and the final.
We shall not forget very quickly that Mr. Dakingari is currently under investigation and on an administrative bail from the EFCC for brazenly and mercilessly ‘looting’ the resources of Kebbi State for eight (8) years while he reigned. It is also on record that Mr. Dakingari has been making heavy refunds to the coffers of the Federal Government in anticipation of plea-bargaining.
This tactics of Mr. Dakingari and his co-travelers in seeking for soft landing on their criminal investigations with the EFCC will not work because similar moves of joining the All Progressive Congress from the People Democratic Party in anticipation of wading off the EFCC has not worked for many before him. All crooks in People Democratic Party are now crossing over to the All Progressive Congress.
I remember one ex Governor of Abia State who is still being prosecuted at one of the Federal High courts despite decamping to the APC from PDP and unofficially becoming the ‘campaigner-in-Chief’ of Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari for the unannounced 2019 Presidency.
Politics is about free conviction and effective membership. It is about value addition. It is to brighten the chances of the new Party that one is joining at the polls. The question now is, what value will these rejected politicians (who lost their home bases despite incumbency factors that was going for them) add to the APC that is struggling to manage its supporters and trying to stand on its feet? These same bulks of politicians recently lost in their wards and local governments in the just concluded State Congresses.
A politician who loses woefully at the polls even when he was effectively in power has nothing to add to the new party he is moving into except confusion, bad blood and acrimonies. He will become a political liability. They were liabilities while in the PDP and shall remain liabilities in the APC.
Alhaji Garba Rabiu Kamba is an ‘absentee politician’ who resides outside Kebbi State. He had always been a ‘minus’ to the PDP. Musa Ibrahim Dan Ilela has always been known to be an APC planted stooge to cause confusions and disaffection in our great party, the PDP.
This assertion of Dan Ilela’s deep rooted unfaithfulness can be buttressed by many financial accomplishments of his of recent that are far above his means. Most glaring of them is a long overseas medical treatment in India allegedly sponsored by the powers that be in the State. ‘He who pays the piper dictates the tune’.
Dan Ilela failed woefully at the just concluded State Congress of our great Party, the PDP where fourteen (14) of our twenty one (21) local governments voted against him.
Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yalwa, Katikan Yauri, the girls’ man has always been known to be a political opportunist, political harlot, ‘the end justifies the means’ politician, appointment chaser and seeker, power hungry and an ingrate. He is an ex-commissioner under Muhammadu Adamu Aliero for eight (8) years – 1999 – 2007. He was the former Chief of Staff to the same Muhammadu Adamu Aliero when the later was appointed the FCT Minister from the Senate. Katikan Yauri is the Chairman of Lewax Petroleum Limited with interest in freight and some filling stations. He is yet to justify his sudden wealth to the authorities. He has attempted to vie for the Senatorial seat of his Zuru/Yauri senatorial zone and lost woefully at the polls.
We are used to seeing politicians decamp with their followers. These political paper weights from Kebbi State decamped singularly, individually and lonely at the Abuja Airport in Abuja on the 29th December, 2017. We will not be surprised to witness a government sponsored reception for these dead woods in the very near future, most likely in January of 2018 with hired and paid political urchins and hang-abouts.
We are not in any way disturbed by the exit of these people from the PDP to the APC. In the true sense of it, we are relieved. We are happy. They have been clogs in the wheels of progress of our great party now that we have successfully held our State congresses and National Convention that has been acclaimed the best convention ever held in the history of Nigeria. PDP will now peacefully go about its reorganization and come out stronger, more formidable and united.
Back to Abubakar Malami who wanted to score an unmerited political point to impress Mr. President and to cover for his many embarrassing goofs. We shall ask the following simple questions:
Does Mr. Malami not know that politicians join the parties of their choice from their wards and not at the Villa? Does Mr. Malami not know that the seat of government in the Villa is for governance only while politics as per APC is at Blantyre Street, Wuse II where the National Chairman, Mr. Oyegun would be the chief host and pilot? Is Mr. Malami this daft and politically naïve? Has Mr. Malam not caused Mr. President and his government enough embarrassment? What is Malami up to?
Well, we await the verdict of the on-going investigation over the Maina-gate where our own Mr. Malami visited a refugee in exile after taking advice from the office of the Director of the Directorate of State Security. We are waiting to see and hear how our own Malami facilitated the illegal return of Mr. Maina to the country where he was and still is on the wanted list. We would like to know how Malami got Maina re-instated into the Civil Service with an elevation in status.
Every soul shall reap what it sows. We are watching with rapt attention with our fingers crossed. 2019 is around the corner. We shall see the new moves of these ‘dead’ politicians when PDP takes back power in the year of our Lord, 2019.
You can run, but you cannot hide.
Isa Aliyu
isaaliyu@yahoo.com
Today, 29th December, 2017, some ex this and ex that politicians from Kebbi State were led into Aso Rock Villa by the Governor of the State, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Bagudu and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Maina, sorry, Abubakar Malami (SAN) with the intention of declaring their carpet-crossing from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Party, APC in the presence of Mr. President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR).
A drama played out at this gathering that many people did not notice. Mr. President snubbed the ‘gate-crashers’ who wanted to ‘smuggle’ a strange agenda of political decamping into an approved and scheduled courtesy call by a State Governor.
Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari was notified of the courtesy call by the Governor of Kebbi State sometimes in November, 2017 by the Chief of Staff to Mr. President and an appointment was secured and fixed for today 29th December, 2017.
Mr. Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice who is also from Kebbi State ensured from the ‘inside’ that the courtesy call materialized before the end of the year 2017. The meeting actually held with Mr. President in the afternoon on the appointed date and time.
While the Honourable Minister expended words in his welcome address and presentation of the visitors to Mr. President about how PDP was ‘finished’ in Kebbi State with the decamping of the ‘expired' politicians from the PDP to the APC. The response of Mr. President that closed the meeting shocked the group.
Mr. President’s response was focused and tailored on the brief he was given about the courtesy visit which was about the improvement on general security of the State and the bumper harvest of rice and other produce generally. Mr. President expressed his gratitude to Almighty Allah for the good rainy season that culminated in the bumper harvest that contributes to the reduction of importation of rice and beans by about 90%.
Mr. President also informed the visitors about other States like Lagos, Ogun and Ebonyi who are also doing much in promoting agriculture and rice production in particular. Mr. President seized the opportunity to express his confidence in Nigeria attaining food sufficiency very soon. The President’s remark sealed the meeting and the hope of the visitor without dropping a word on the ‘smuggled’ agenda of defectors, defection and carpet crossers of the dead and inconsequential politicians.
When the Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu briefed the press at the end of the meeting in the Villa in the presence of the decampees, he only spoke about security, rice and Nigeria’s early exit from recession ahead of other stronger nations like Russia, France etc. This press briefing without a mention of their unpopular carpet crossing badly robbed on the ego of Dakingari and co-travelers. They were all shocked and properly shamed in front of the television cameras.
Carpet-crossing or cross-carpeting by Nigerian politicians is not a new phenomenon but one that has been with us as a nation since the first republic.
The first recorded incident of carpet crossing was in 1951 in the defunct Western Region House of Assembly when several members of the then NCNC (National Congress of Nigeria and Cameroon) decamped to the old AG (Action Group) overnight. This singular move denied the NCNC the majority in the Western Region House of Assembly thereby clearing the hurdle for the AG (Action Group) to form the government in the defunct region. That was effective carpet-crossing.
The politicking at the tail end of the last administration in Nigeria between 2014 and early 2015 recorded the heaviest cross-carpeting from the then ruling PDP to the newly formed APC. These moves and shuffles were more seen within the two houses of the National Assembly – The Senate and the House of Representatives.
One major cross-carpeting preceding those of the members of the National Assembly was the mass carpet-crossing and defection of numerous juggernauts and political heavy weights of the PDP who had earlier formed the ‘New PDP’ to the All Progressives Congress. The then Turakin Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar led this group. It will however not be forgotten that the now Wazirin Adamawa is fully and officially back to the PDP and more are expected back soon.
Another major move that had more impact than all the aforementioned was the carpet-crossing of five sitting PDP Governors from Adamawa, Sokoto, Kano, Rivers and Kwara States to the All Progressives Congress late in 2014.
However, what happened today 29th December, 2017 where some failed politicians in Kebbi State declared their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party and declaring for the All Progressives Congress is not only inconsequential, valueless and worthless but laughable.
They declared their carpet-crossing at the Airport when they received no audience from Mr. President at the Villa. We all know how people join a political party. It is done from the politician’s ward in his Local Government, not at the Villa in Abuja.
Alhaji Saidu Usman Dakingari and Alhaji Ibrahim K. Aliyu were the immediate past Governor and Deputy Governor of Kebbi State who both lost their Local governments and wards in the 2015 general Election to the APC (then the opposition Party). They had no political value then, they cannot borrow some for themselves now.
Dakingari and his Deputy, K. Aliyu were joined in the ignoble movement by their ‘ex’ Secretary to the State Government, ‘ex’ and former member of House of Representative and his ‘ex’ conduit, Lawali Dakingari who was the ‘defacto’ governor of Kebbi State during the draconian reign of Mr. Dakingari in Kebbi State. Lawali was the ‘Alfa and Omega’ of Dakingari’s government while it lasted. Lawali’s words were laws and the final.
We shall not forget very quickly that Mr. Dakingari is currently under investigation and on an administrative bail from the EFCC for brazenly and mercilessly ‘looting’ the resources of Kebbi State for eight (8) years while he reigned. It is also on record that Mr. Dakingari has been making heavy refunds to the coffers of the Federal Government in anticipation of plea-bargaining.
This tactics of Mr. Dakingari and his co-travelers in seeking for soft landing on their criminal investigations with the EFCC will not work because similar moves of joining the All Progressive Congress from the People Democratic Party in anticipation of wading off the EFCC has not worked for many before him. All crooks in People Democratic Party are now crossing over to the All Progressive Congress.
I remember one ex Governor of Abia State who is still being prosecuted at one of the Federal High courts despite decamping to the APC from PDP and unofficially becoming the ‘campaigner-in-Chief’ of Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari for the unannounced 2019 Presidency.
Politics is about free conviction and effective membership. It is about value addition. It is to brighten the chances of the new Party that one is joining at the polls. The question now is, what value will these rejected politicians (who lost their home bases despite incumbency factors that was going for them) add to the APC that is struggling to manage its supporters and trying to stand on its feet? These same bulks of politicians recently lost in their wards and local governments in the just concluded State Congresses.
A politician who loses woefully at the polls even when he was effectively in power has nothing to add to the new party he is moving into except confusion, bad blood and acrimonies. He will become a political liability. They were liabilities while in the PDP and shall remain liabilities in the APC.
Alhaji Garba Rabiu Kamba is an ‘absentee politician’ who resides outside Kebbi State. He had always been a ‘minus’ to the PDP. Musa Ibrahim Dan Ilela has always been known to be an APC planted stooge to cause confusions and disaffection in our great party, the PDP.
This assertion of Dan Ilela’s deep rooted unfaithfulness can be buttressed by many financial accomplishments of his of recent that are far above his means. Most glaring of them is a long overseas medical treatment in India allegedly sponsored by the powers that be in the State. ‘He who pays the piper dictates the tune’.
Dan Ilela failed woefully at the just concluded State Congress of our great Party, the PDP where fourteen (14) of our twenty one (21) local governments voted against him.
Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yalwa, Katikan Yauri, the girls’ man has always been known to be a political opportunist, political harlot, ‘the end justifies the means’ politician, appointment chaser and seeker, power hungry and an ingrate. He is an ex-commissioner under Muhammadu Adamu Aliero for eight (8) years – 1999 – 2007. He was the former Chief of Staff to the same Muhammadu Adamu Aliero when the later was appointed the FCT Minister from the Senate. Katikan Yauri is the Chairman of Lewax Petroleum Limited with interest in freight and some filling stations. He is yet to justify his sudden wealth to the authorities. He has attempted to vie for the Senatorial seat of his Zuru/Yauri senatorial zone and lost woefully at the polls.
We are used to seeing politicians decamp with their followers. These political paper weights from Kebbi State decamped singularly, individually and lonely at the Abuja Airport in Abuja on the 29th December, 2017. We will not be surprised to witness a government sponsored reception for these dead woods in the very near future, most likely in January of 2018 with hired and paid political urchins and hang-abouts.
We are not in any way disturbed by the exit of these people from the PDP to the APC. In the true sense of it, we are relieved. We are happy. They have been clogs in the wheels of progress of our great party now that we have successfully held our State congresses and National Convention that has been acclaimed the best convention ever held in the history of Nigeria. PDP will now peacefully go about its reorganization and come out stronger, more formidable and united.
Back to Abubakar Malami who wanted to score an unmerited political point to impress Mr. President and to cover for his many embarrassing goofs. We shall ask the following simple questions:
Does Mr. Malami not know that politicians join the parties of their choice from their wards and not at the Villa? Does Mr. Malami not know that the seat of government in the Villa is for governance only while politics as per APC is at Blantyre Street, Wuse II where the National Chairman, Mr. Oyegun would be the chief host and pilot? Is Mr. Malami this daft and politically naïve? Has Mr. Malam not caused Mr. President and his government enough embarrassment? What is Malami up to?
Well, we await the verdict of the on-going investigation over the Maina-gate where our own Mr. Malami visited a refugee in exile after taking advice from the office of the Director of the Directorate of State Security. We are waiting to see and hear how our own Malami facilitated the illegal return of Mr. Maina to the country where he was and still is on the wanted list. We would like to know how Malami got Maina re-instated into the Civil Service with an elevation in status.
Every soul shall reap what it sows. We are watching with rapt attention with our fingers crossed. 2019 is around the corner. We shall see the new moves of these ‘dead’ politicians when PDP takes back power in the year of our Lord, 2019.
You can run, but you cannot hide.
Isa Aliyu
isaaliyu@yahoo.com
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