Wamakko and the moles in APC By Aminu Mohammed

The emergence or entrance of the deputy governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu, into the 2019 governorship race has not only added weight and value to the excitement , drama and anxiety but also fears into the opposition camp within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and others.
The deputy governor whose last minute entrance into the race has been causing sleepless nights to so many is seen as the anointed aspirant and by extension the “prodigal choice”.
Those who are afraid of his chances of picking the ticket are already alleging that he was anointed by the leader of the state APC, Distinguished Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, forgetting that as a commissioner for 8 years before becoming a deputy governor in 2015, he is matured enough to know what he wants, when he wants it and how he wants it if it has been ordained for him to be there by God.
By political standard, constitutional and all legal means, he is in the position to seek the office of the governor as the political leader of the APC in Sokoto.
Those alleging that Wamakko sent the deputy governor at the eleventh hour to be a spoiler are saying so because they are afraid of Wamakko who has since 2007 been rubbishing all opposition forces as a politician with the “midas touch’ on whom success and fortune have been smiling.
As a deputy governor between 1999 and 2006 when he resigned and took over the structure of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) from the then governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, he has established himself as the greatest politician in the Caliphate and this has not been going down well with his political contemporaries who have been scheming and plotting to pull him down but have always been failing.
In the political history of the state, he has the most intimidating credentials which his detractors envy and have been planning to stop him but for 19 years have always failed.
After taking over the ANPP from Bafarawa in 2006 as a deputy governor, the PDP saw him as the man of the moment and shortly before the 2007 elections, they came on their knees courting him.
And as predicted he rubbished Bafarawa by becoming the first PDP governor who performed extremely well in all sectors.
He established a state university, an orthopedic hospital, college of legal studies, college of agriculture, NYSC secretariat and other numerous projects.
In 2015, he single handedly brought Tambuwal and gave him the APC ticket on a platter of gold.
Therefore, as 2019 gathers momentum, he is still like Tinubu in Lagos – whoever he endorses is seen as the ‘governor in awaiting’.
This is why the opposition within and outside the APC are uncomfortable with Ahmed Aliyu the current deputy governor of Sokoto state.
As we jog through the positive notes of the 2019 elections, the APC needs Wamakko more than any other politician in Sokoto state.
Just as he delivered the entire Northwest to APC and PMB three years ago, Wamakko and other genuine members of the party are doing everything possible to re-sweep the region with wider margin than 2015.
For dominating political activities in Sokoto for over a decade ever since he carpeted his so-called “oga” Bafarawa in 2007, the slogan “Sai Alu” has always been synonymous with victory, victory and political victory.
Alu, as he is popularly called, is no doubt a politician like no other in Sokoto and other neighbouring states, especially Kebbi and Zamfara, where he has always extended his political goodwill to and is a household name when it comes to accommodating people and attending to their needs.
In the last 19 years that Nigerians have been blessed with civil rule, there is no single politician in Sokoto who has been able to match Wamakko’s shoes in terms of kindness to the needy, accommodating and helping the have and have nots, the rich and the poor, the able and disabled, the educated and unlettered, in fact his largess knows no bounds.
Alu is the only politician in Sokoto whose personal residence has been converted to Gidan Jama’a, that is people’s residence.
Alu is the only politician in the Caliphate who begins on daily basis attending to the rich and the poor, the royal and the ordinary and all kinds of people from morning to morning.
Everyday of his life is devoted to attending to other people’s needs from 10 am to 3 am following morning and this can be testified even in Abuja where he has been playing host to the high and low, the mighty and minors, politicians of like minds and business moguls.
Any wonder why this politician like no other would not have enemies? Their problem with him has always been, why always him? Why is it that in Sokoto “ Sai Alu, in Abuja sai Alu, in Kebbi sai Alu, in Zamfara sai Alu, in Katsina sai Alu.
In Kano sai Alu and in Kaduna sai Alu? Why always him, why not us? Why is he better than us? And why, why, why can’t we be like him? This is the reason why they want to rubbish him but have always been failing just like they are plotting to fail again.
His political rivals, detractors and enemies have since 2006 being plotting to block him from becoming a “nu mero uno” (first among equals) but anytime they plot, God plots against them and yet they have not been able to read the handwriting on the wall that God fights for those who always provide for others.
Recently, a group of Abuja-based politicians led by one Umarun Kwabo wrote a petition to the APC headquarters in Abuja claiming that Wamakko has been personalizing party activities and also alleged that the Sokoto APC decision to conduct indirect primaries was a personal decision of Wamakko to favour the state deputy governor’s bid of becoming a governor.
He has been vindicated as the party has settled for indirect primaries in all the 36 states.
Those accusing Wamakko of supporting the deputy governor have failed to recollect that by political supremacy the Sokoto state deputy governor, Ahmed Aliyu, is by whatever standard the leader of the APC in Sokoto with the defection of his boss to the PDP.
However, as a loyal political student of Wamakko and someone who respect elders, he decided to prove to the party that loyalty should be total submission and therefore as a loyal student of Wamakko who appointed him a commissioner for 8 years, a teacher is always a teacher and so Wamakko should as expected be the leader of the party.
What the deputy governor did was to prove to the world that loyalty should be 100 percent and is reciprocal.
Moreover, when the state governor ran away to PDP to contest for the presidential seat, the APC headquarters was aware that even when the governor was still in the party, Wamakko was technically the leader of APC in the state.
In essence, as far as the APC is concerned , Alu is APC in Sokoto and APC is Alu.
Just like in 2015 the APC cannot win election in Sokoto without Wamakko but Wamakko can win election without APC.
In short Wamakko is to Sokoto what Tinubu is to Lagos.
These two politicians have invested so much in human capacity building and are now reaping the fruit of their long term investment.
This among several selfish reasons are why Wamakko and Tinubu are giving their opponents sleepless nights.
The problem with the so-called Abuja-based politicians is that they run away from their constituents after their defeat only to resurface in election time.
How can they match Wamakko who through thick and thin never runs away from the grassroots? Those who signed that irrelevant petition are hypocrites because most of them are moles in the APC and they claim to be concerned members but are dining and wining with the opposition: they are moles planted in the APC to supply vital and strategic information to the “ enemy”.
As part of the plot the moles are being funded by the opposition within and outside the state and already several secret meetings have been held in and outside the country on how to end Wamakko’s dominance on Sokoto politics.
Again, the opposition according to the secret pact is ready to spend on their moles to bring disunity in the APC so that Wamakko would be disorganized and in case APC still wins the governorship seat their moles would quickly begin to shun Wamakko and by the end of their first year In office, Wamakko would be completely dislodged and that would mark the beginning of his political dynasty as they think.
Therefore, it is now a battle between the desperate opposition forces who are using moles in the APC and Wamakko who has always been hitting them below the belt.
It is therefore not out of place for Alu to support whoever would be submissive to him as loyalty is a very vital ingredient in politics.
Is democracy not a matter of choice? It is obvious for Wamakko as human to have preference, it is imperative for Alu to have an anointed aspirant or candidate for survival purposes.
How can someone who has vital information about moles in the APC still fold his arms and do nothing? What do we say about the feud in Lagos where an elected executive governor is on his knees begging Tinubu for ticket, yet Tinubu is adamant on removing him; is it not because of disloyalty? Should Wamakko fold his arms and allow the opposition and their spy agents takeover the party and rubbish him after? It is a survival battle and just like 2007, 2012 and 2015, 2019 is another time for Wamakko the only PDP governor Sokoto had ever produced through the ballots to hit them below the belt and if the state deputy governor who by political credentials is the most suitable and qualified, is the anointed, so be it.
Who funds APC in Sokoto, who decides what is to be done, who made the APC what it is in Sokoto today, who do the masses in Sokoto stand for, and most importantly, who did the party headquarters handed over the running of its affairs to in Sokoto? If the APC fails to make impact who would the blame be on? If we all agree Wamakko or Alu is the man, then why don’t we support him to sail and deliver the Noah’s Ark to the desired destination? Those grumbling are merely doing so because of fear of losing positions promised them but the whole thing should be seen as sacrifice.
Wamakko has made a lot of sacrifices to be where he is today and if truly those claiming to be running on popular demand are asked to make sacrifices, they should learn to be obedient servants of the party if they are without motives.
Kukan kurciya jawabi ne amma ga mai fahimta.
Mohammed writes from Sokoto

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