A BASKET CASE AS GOVERNOR IN KADUNA STATE
The Oasis Reporters
May 5, 2018
By Col. Gora Dauda (rtd)
The 1999 Constitution of the Federal. Republic of Nigeria as amended in outlining what qualifies someone to contest an election into office either as President and Vice-president, Governor and Deputy, Senator, Member of the House of Representatives, or a State Assembly member left out a very important requirement of Psychiatric Evaluation.
Given the manner some characters occupying key positions in government are conducting themselves particularly in Kaduna, it is imperative that in the next Constitution Review serious consideration should be given to this very important issue.
When a State is unfortunate to have a character in office as governor who’s mental state appears very unsound as is evident of late, any observer can then begin to appreciate the dilemma of the people of Kaduna State. When a governor mounts the rostrum and immediately erupts into a fireball of insults and personal attacks against people of proven character in the society for no reason other than personal, you will have no choice other than concluding that in Kaduna State we have someone urgently requiring psychiatric help rather than occupying Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.
When this same character mounted the rostrum sometime last year at an event and proceeded to insult some of our political forebears who dedicated virtually all their lives to freeing this nation from colonial bondage many in the audience could not believe their ears.
He found it very convenient to pour insults on the likes of late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua even as he is resting quietly in his grave. It doesn’t really matter to the dictator of Kaduna as he is always poised for battle with the spirits of the dead as well as those still alive. He does all these things and goes away for now because our Constitution drafters granted immunity to mad or supposedly mad people wheas they should have been seeking psychiatric help.
At the flag off of campaigning for the much delayed local council polls at the Ranchers Bees Stadium in Kaduna on 4 May 2018, the dictator saw the event as an opportunity to get even with those he is holding responsible for the very poor and despicable leadership he has provided to the people of this State. He deployed quality time to pummel the 3 Distinguished Senators representing Kaduna State for in his view, obstructing the $ 350 Million World Bank loan which he is seeking before the very few who gathered for the event. He sought to whip up sentiments by blaming the Senators for the failure to complete virtually all the projects his government started. These projects include roads, hospitals, schools etc.
Reading through his campaign manifesto as he sought the office of governor in the State, I could not read any line indicating that the campaign slogan of Making Kaduna Great Again would be contingent in obtaining a World Bank loan.
What has happened or has been happening to the monies accruing to Kaduna State from the Federation Account?
Where also are the various sums which accrued from other sources including the refunds by the Federal government and bailouts?
Where has the dictator deposited the monies realised from the sale of almost all landed properties belonging to the State?
The dictator only found it convenient to offload his frustration on the 3 Senators in a deliberate attempt to obscure or mask the obvious absence of success of his administration but has failed.
He has variously insulted the people of Kaduna State as not good enough to be part of his government which is the reason he brought in hordes of economic vampires in the name of Consultants who are milking the resources of the State.
I will not be surprised if the dictator wakes up some day soon to blame the failure of his leadership on the hapless and traumatized people of this State.
As he erupted in the Stadium, he derided the 3 distinguished Senators by describing them as unpatriotic and irresponsible elder statesmen. For the 2 Senators representing Zones One and Two who are APC members, he took time to describe them individually as one with bushy hair and the other as bearded. He proceeded to promise that both will be given a clean shave whenever they were in town.
It is tragic that this character of a governor will get this low and cheap in his conduct. He simply was inciting the people of Kaduna State against the Senators but the people of Kaduna State know who to blame for their travails. He did appeal to the electorate to reject the Senators should they seek their votes in a future election. At the same time he poured praises on Members in the House of Representatives who were supportive of the loan request that failed praying God to bless them. Members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly all of whom he had put under through financial inducements received his praises too and was technically campaigning for their re-election but the outcome of the, 2019 elections will show very clearly if they are worthy of ever again representing any of their constituents.
A friend observed that the rejection of World Bank loan is causing the dictator to behave as if he received several bites from a dog infected with rabies. Those who are working close to him or with him must now be measuring their distances from him so that they may not receive a bite too from him. This ugly drama played out before Chief Odigie Oyegun the man responsible for all the problems in the APC. We had known in the course of the lingering problems in the APC that the dictator of Kaduna State had a white haired guardian angel watching over him at the APC national headquarters else why were several petitions against the subversion of the democratic processes in Kaduna forwarded by the Kaduna Restoration Group not promptly investigated?
Chief Oyegun clearly proved that all he was interested in is corrupt primitive enrichment from sources including resources from Kaduna State. Oyegun is the hatchet man for a cartel bent on perpetuating themselves in their positions. There is no way for our dictator to be behaving and flaunting himself about without covert support from the Oyegun led Party leadership. I am not sure if Chief Oyegun understands or speaks the Hausa language, if he does, surely he would have heard first-hand what the dictatorial governor (his godson), had said. The dictator spoke in Hausa but even if his guest does not understand Hausa, surely someone by now must have interpreted ho him what the dictator had said.
If the Chief is a man of honour he ought to know that he was all along supporting dictatorship against democracy.
In Kaduna State back in 2015, we put a dictator in office as governor thinking he is a democrat this is because he adroitly concealed his ugly dictatorial fangs under a veneer of democracy. For both the dictator and Chief Oyegun, the House of Cards they have been erecting is falling apart, thanks to the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari. The crisis the APC is going through and in Kaduna State is traceable to the pact between the dictator and Chief. As far as we in the opposition and the electorate in Kaduna State are concerned the dictatorship in this State will come to an end after we have voted in 2019 by God’s grace.
The dictator should know just in case he does not already know that there will be grave consequences after he leaves office.
The dictator in yet another attempt at subverting the democratic process simply had his agents compile names of his anointed people to be affirmed at the outcome of the Ward Congresses taking place today. There is no better way of subverting democracy as this.
Distinguished Senator Othman Suleiman Hunkuyi has repeatedly told everyone with ears to listen that democracy is a game to be played by the people in the field and not by tainted and compromised minds in the comfort of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House. That is the naked truth bitter as it is. Take it or leave it.
As the APC elects its officers in the Ward Congresses, I can only pray that the exercise is conducted under a peaceful atmosphere. Let us join hands and deal a fatal bliss to dictatorship. To God Be The Glory.
Written by Col. Dauda Gora (rtd).
The views expressed herein are entirely those of the writer.
