It has become a norm for successors to humiliate and witch-hunt their predecessors under the guise of corruption while in true sense, it is all about asserting themselves as the “new” political leader and battle for souls of the State. They are not unmindful of how susceptible we are to the usual antics, which is accuse your predecessor of graft, and the public will feast on him gleefully.
Sharing membership of the same political party have never spared any one of these drama. From Niger to Kano, from Lagos to Osun, from Rivers to Anambra, from Enugu to Kwara, and from Edo to Imo, it is the same tale of bickering and fight for the soul of the state.
Two instances stand out in these examples, Kano state and Osun State.
Former Governor Abdulahi Ganduje moved against his benefactor of many years such that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso could not step into Kano for three years. This were people that their “political matrimony” started in 1999. They were together in and out of office, till Kwankwaso paved way Ganduje to be Governor in the 2015.
As it stands today, they do not see “eye to eye” such that Ganduje while addressing members of the press in the chambers of President Villa said if they run into each other, he might slap him.
The second instance was the “war” between former Governor Rauf aLAregbesola and former Governor Adegboyega of Osun State. The battle started way before the assumption of office by Oyetola. It was a widely acknowledged fact that Oyetola was never Aregbesola’s preferred choice as a successor and Oyetola’s four years in office vividly demonstrated that he never forgot that. It is safe to say Oyetola stripped Osun bare of Aregbesola’s legacies. The rate at which Aregbesola’s policies were abolished or reversed were swift and alarming. The battle between the two is widely regarded as the reason for Oyetola losing his re-election bid.
The new entrant into this game is Dauda Lawal , the governor of Zamfara State, and who belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party. The Zamfara instance is peculiar as the former Governor, Mr. Bello Muhammed Matawalle was a member of the PDP before his defection to the All Progressive Congress on which he contested for a second term in office. Though Mr. Dauda Lawal is still in office, it is evident that Mr. Matawalle is the most popular politician in the state though he “lost” his re-election bid. The intimidating profile of Matawalle and while not being unmindful that mandate of Mr. Lawal is a subject of dispute at the election petition tribunal, it was expected that Governor Dauda Lawal will go that route, but no one expected the level of pettiness from him.
In strict compliance to the dictates of the script which have always played out, Dauda Lawal accused the former governor of graft and making away with four exotic cars which belong to the state government.
In an evident show of knowledge-gap on the matters of the state he is at the helms of affairs, he and his team missed the fact that former Governor Matawalle abolished the retirement packages for former public office holders in the state and there was no way he would have been found wanting of a decision he took and which endeared him to many Nigerians.
Well, documents from a Federal High Court, Gusau Judicial Division on Thursday(15/06/2023) ordered agents of the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police Zamfara State, State Security Service(DSS) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps who are the 1st, to the 5th respondents in the matter before it to produce within 48hours upon service of notice a comprehensive inventory of vehicles and properties taken from the residence of Mr. Matawalle in Maradun and Gusau, pending the determination of the Applicant’s (Dr. Matawalle) substantive originating motion in the matter before the court as case is adjourned to 28th day of June 2023.
One thing is evident in these many wars, the people suffer from policies summersault, vindictive-driven agenda and poor governance as the governor is distracted from the real business of governance.
Often times, these governors do not achieve anything meaningful, they do not offer any kind of serious leadership while forgetting that governance is serious business.
Deyemi Saka