Between Abdullahi Abbas and Abdulmumin Jibrin: A clear case of anti-party for personal interest
NEWS DIGEST – Before now, I had wanted to keep mum on the recent rerun election that took place on the 25th of January at some local governments in Kano following court of appeal judgement that sacked Abdulmumin Jibrin of Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency and Alhassan Ado Doguwa of Tudunwada and Doguwa Constituency of Kano. However, the outcome of the elections, the bragging and a show of shame by some party leaders in the state evoked the critic in me to attempt cutting these myopic leaders to their various sizes.
It could be recalled that the same court of appeal ordered for a rerun at Minjibir, Kumbotso and Bunkure local government area of Kano State but, to the surprise of many, APC was able to retain its seats in all others except Kiru/Bebeji Constituency where Abdulmumin Jibrin represented for two consecutive terms.
However, this puzzle didn’t come to me as a surprise, because I noticed how the APC as a party campaigned vigorously for all of its candidates, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Manniru Babba Danagundi, Tasiu Zabainawa and others but sidelined Abdulmumin Jibrin and left him to campaign for himself. Is the party at liberty to campaign for selected individuals or its members? This should be the question for the party leaders to answer.
Much later, a day before the rerun election to be precise, it became obviously clear why he was sidelined. I heard from some sources that the former lawmaker’s greatest sin was the allegation that he worked against the return of Governor Ganduje in 2019. That he voted for the PDP governorship candidate, Abba Kabir-Yusuf in the March gubernatorial election.
Enough of that balderdash! I can put it to the strictest proof of all that those behind the spontaneous allegations could not back it up with genuine evidence. It is worthy of note that before his election was nullified by the court, the former lawmaker had been seen attending different functions of the party, giving his maximum support to Alhasan Ado Doguwa and all other members whom Governor Ganduje and the APC endorsed for Principal Offices in the green chamber.
Read Also:
I could vividly recall that Abdulmumini Jibrin was reported to have fallen out with the APC chairman, Abdullahi Abba a few weeks after the Kano governorship election was declared inconclusive. Be that as it might, in politics conflict is inevitable. Scholars of politics have associated it with conflict. Conflict can be resolved in politics but it is inevitable in every society. Jibrin’s case with Abbas is something that we expect in politics, the exchange of words that took place between the duo came to an end after a remarkable reconciliation.
Above all, Jibrin had publicly apologised to Abbas. In fact, he was seen kneeling to greet Abbas – openned the car door for him, he has given him all the necessary respect; a testimony that all that happened had passed. Unfortunately for Abbas, he showed no sign of forgiveness.
We are all sinners before Almighty Allah but he has assured us of his forgiveness anytime we seek for it, as his servants. Allah has said it in several verses of the Qur’an that he is most-forgiving. He is with those that are patient, those that forgive. If Allah will forgive his servants over the various sins they commit, then, who is Abdullahi Abbas? I ask!!!
With all these, Abdulmumin Jibrin was humiliated, embarrassed and a gang up was made against him to see that he was not returned elected.
No serious party member would allow this gang up being committed against the party, it is a sign of the weakness of our internal democracy. Party members are not loyal to their party, they are only loyal to their personal interest or a mere Godfatherism. It is a big blow to Oshiomole as the Chairman of the party.
The party if it is a serious one should constitute a committee that will investigate the anti-party actvitiy that took place in Kano State, if it would retain its seats in the constituencies I mentioned earlier. Why would the party lose in Kiru and Bebeji? A big question that Abdullahi Abbas should answer before the party disciplinary committee.
Failure of the party to take an action as early as possible will affect it in 2023 election. The future of a political party in a serious democracy is beyond the interest of a mere individual. Party members being clearly shown how to work against their party in broad daylight because of the interest of one person is wrong and would not be good for that party in the future.
Sooner or later, the gang up for one person interest will backlash and affect the party in the future.
Adnan Mukhtar Tudunwada is the author of Not Too Young To Run: A Personal Experience. He can be reached on Twitter @adnanmoukhtar
