It is the nickname AlhajiAhmad Idriss Wase is answering at the local level – and now even at the top.
The Wase constituency in Plateau State Rep at the Federal House is an old, goodhand who can take any level of leadership. but not many Nigerians will understandthis, because his type hardly make the national round.Because of his emulabletraits of no march – gentle, soft, cool, silent figure – he is a good man who nowseems to be dwarfed by the giant potbelly players in the great trek toleadership of the ninth House. And by nature, he would not talk about it. Afterreading a couple of stories for his endorsement, I give this as a third voice.
The current tussle for theleadership of the ninth NASS is, in their normal dream, an exercise todetermine how Next Level should be and a prelude to 2023. They will stop atnothing. In Nigeria, the whims of the few are always the determinant of whatshould be about the future of the nation. They don’t care. They don’t consult.They are unbreakable.
Little do they know thattheir actions and inactions in trying to smuggle in again a bad guy willeventually count against them in four years. The Nigerian voters are wiser thanthey can ever imagine. Anyone who tells you playing dirty in Nigeria’s politicsat any level is a good idea must be blind and dumb in the last five years. Butyou know. The Nigerian will come to ten lessons but will not heed even one.
Thanks to PMB. Only few, insignificant, helpless and muscle-less persons are dangling in futility within the power camp trying to help the only man that does everything in the name of the nation and for it. And he means everything but they ignore, deny him. He is just watching for now. Keep daring him.
Ask Kwankwaso. He is onepolitician who used to talk about PMB’s index of intelligence. After losing outon everything now, he must have a book to write about the President. He may bea huge consultant now, but the power brokers will never humble down to him foradvice.
Those who initiated andsteered that meeting of the APC caucus in the House with the President cannotsay they did that in the name of the nation. I doubt. At the end it wasobjective met. They staged Femi with the impossible surname as the APC’s choicefor the speakership. Femi is not a bad idea but in this one now, he is just agood man with a bad case, no case.
I don’t know him. But I know that it was the same Femi contested a hot campaign in the last NASS for the same post. I don’t know his credentials or character or his connection strength with his people as well as his national outlook. This is because no one caged in a shell should seek a national position. And ambition is good only if it is not over and not driven by overriding self interest.
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But let all that be. Take the nonconstitutional, national balance of power by distribution of posts across the board based on the understanding of gentlemen in the circle. Is it OK to have two key positions – vice president and speaker – from the same region? Is this not heating the polity? Is this in the national interest?
We have said it a number of times. The North must remain indebted and grateful to The South West for long for making Buhari possible by their consent to the holiest of political marriages ever. They have shown strong honesty, sincerity and commitment to the arrangement, making the alliance the strongest that no other ill-motivated isle can undo it. And already, we are warming up for 2023 for the consolidation of the Buhari years by the SW, with a possible northern vicey.
Jagaba has shown his worthas the SW’s illustrious son. At the 2019 campaign tangle, we feared that Jagabawill break the jar. We were wrong. He reaffirmed his loyalty to the nation ineven more honourable terms, delivering to the President all his campaignassignments, except, true, the Lagos disappointment. But then thank God itwasn’t lost but just too close.
Back to point. Are theFemi pushers conscious of the future of the SW if not that of Nigeria? I doubt.Are they conscious of what PMB is going through in the north because of the SW?I doubt it. Is Jagaba behind it? Possible. And those who crave for a reason topinch PMB are finding a good reason that ‘one man is trying to put Nigeria inhis pocket’. Again, thanks to that man, Jagaba.
Is Femi’s ambition worth the risking of the SW leader’s standing repution among the majority of the North’s electorates, something even some elite are giving huge praises? No. Nothing is. That is why Jagaba must stand up to decide on something, on this one and 2023. Bala Mohammad of BUK must find words to push this forward too.
Jagaba must call them to order to douse the angst and the President is already paying for making a second time even before it started. Some of us in the North can be unforgiving when issues of high stakes are n the table. The north is already bashing the President for his alleged bias to the SW in contract and many areas including, they say, sympathy to the sick and the bereaved from there. I don’t agree. But what if it is true? Who can save an iota of repute for the President? No one can. I can’t, too.
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PMB is still misunderstoodby many because he refused to be like them. He will never be. This is onereason when it comes to Buhari, some things cannot be said, because they don’tmatter because you can change a principle. It is a steeled value. It is in theblood of the son of man. You can only live with it or leave it. That is whythose who understand the President are relaxed because they believe. Theytrust.
I don’t only believe andtrust. I share the values too. I share the principle that in leadership, yourown must be the last to get any privilege. Always. When you don’t practisethat, it will be easy to say anything about you and it will stand, even if itis not true. A leader without principleswill be the opener of the gate of suspicion and unnecessary criticism. ThankGod PMB is not one.
So the North will continue to understand and be patient. The works are coming up the Niger and sure the Next Level will seal everything. Before then, it is also good to count the numerous things that the President did for the North too. Is it because they are mostly intangibles? If it is the other regions that make the same allegation against the President’s bias for the North, where will he be now on the lips of the self-serving?
Just imaging even when hedidn’t. The SE is still complaining about even his mound of food. PMB is stillpreferred dead by many of us, and it is reason he is suffering in the hands ofthe sorcerers who charmed him into a bottle so that he must not be the realBuhari we want. It is called the Great Gangup of the Gangsters of the NigerianPolitical Gallery. God, please forbid them from the hijack of Next Level.
And many have worsened his challenges, including the APC leadership. What lessons has it learned from the debacles of the primaries, for which the President is still suffering defamation, curses and evil prayer from the lips of the aggrieved in some states. It is only that God doesn’t serve the prayer of the selfinterest in matters of public priority. And it is also because the man has a good heart and selfless interest as panacea for the evil plots, bad-slipping and the stone throws.
As I write, the APC isstill suffering embarrassment at the tribunals because of the many mistakes. Asat last week I counted six in the North only. And it seems to take the samepathway. It’s endorsement of Femi Impossible is callous. Whoever cajoled thePresident into the idea must have won a great prize against the nationalinterest. This is because while they fight for double stools for one zone forthe SW, other zones like the NC are crying for only one in the current politicalbalance and that is fair.
While we condemn theprevalence of religion and ethnicity in determining such, zoning is stillimportant for national understanding, unity and progress. It is a dispassionateway to articulate the distribution of secondary responsibilities to everyone’sfull cup of green tea. The SW and the APC are important pillars in this and thenext dispensations. They must not abuse the principle for short, immediateinterest.
I don’t come from the NC.I come from the NE for which the APC has zoned the Senate presidency, which isok, without anyone raising an eyebrow. Those who are still contesting with AhmadLawan are actually ignorant about the man’s standing in the eyes of hiscolleagues and Nigerians. Now even Lawan’s popular candidacy is contested bymany, including the pinching of his own brother against him.
Where is Gwoza or Borno toBade and Yobe? Almost everything about them is just homogeneous. But thegangsters are ensuring that Ndume must not stand down for him. We don’t knowwhere it will stop because with NASS, expect the impossible. Before theelection, now watch how the NE is fractioned and its children divided over theissue. We have been used as bulls to play in the gallery of national ridicule forlong.
Ahmad Lawan has consumedall the credentials, qualifications and tests of character demonstrated by hisconsisted behaviour about, and stand on, issues as deliberated in the Senatefor, since 1999. No one can, has ever find, found any dot of dark spot on hisoften white dress. Coming from an experience of the cruellest NASS leadershipever in these current rogues, Lawan is the only one we can trust will obey thewants of the president for the nation and for the majority poor.
So what is going on in the currency ofpolitical tussles is also an exercise in the imposition of impunity as theprevalent value in the polity. When last did you hear anything about the ‘ChangeBegins with Me’ campaign? Long. It is those who seek to bury it that areplaying the ‘divide them by anything’ campaign. They are across all the arms,the ministries, the MDAs, the parties, the caucuses and the errands.
It is a clique from thepast who entered the Chamber and the House only to betray the nation for theirselfish wants. And trust me. The first person who will disagree with my ‘claim’is not any one of them. It is a victim of their selfish perpetration and evilplots that will stand up in hatred for this piece. Sad. Even as the countrypropels its wheels of progress, many of us will be running behind, becausemoving on is difficult for them.
Thanks to Governor Shettima. He promised to mobilise colleagues to prevail on other candidates to step down for Lawan, including his own brother from his own state, Ndume. In my fairest judgment of the Governor, he does that only because of Lawan’s colossal consumption of what is needed, especially at this time. No one understands this except the self-disciplined and that is a godsend trait not every Nigerian can dream about. May the best among them be in the lead in every way of advice, politicking and influences.
Back to Maje and to theHouse speakership. Can you imagine some are working underground to perpetuateeven the incumbent to continue? Where do we go from there? And is he aware, insupport of it, interested? Really? I am going to be disappointed by a man that hasbeen blessed by God in amazing ways and still retains a handsome of thepeople’s goodwill at a time when those with better opportunity to defeat himended up squandering theirs in the most foolish manners.
Can we, our leaders be grateful to God for his bounties, mercies beyond the way of the mouths? Can we? In their lifetime culture of Nigeria’s betrayal, the players hovering over the incumbent and other contestants to make them believe the unlikely and the unfair can do anything. They will stop at nothing. But we will not support, will pray against their plots.
Already, they are plottingfor a big reason for the repeat of 2015 because deception is the only art theyknow. Just hope that the patriots in the House and not only APC members stayawake to read the writing on the walls early so they are not outsmarted again.But will they do it for the nation’s sake?
I don’t know Maje either.I know that he is also one of the old hands as much as Femi can claim or evenmore. And I do have the privilege of knowing him due to my friendship of manymembers of his sphere of influence. I heard, hear his stories. One of my sources is a critical insider whowill stop at nothing if they can find something bad about the man. In any casewhat we want to count is character of men and men with character.
Consequential Maje hasaffected most in his constituency which is predominantly Christian, and most ofthe accounts come from them, by helping many youth get into the differentvacant positions. That is remarkable because in a society that lives by hatredfor the other and division of the people, most ears expect only the bad aboutthe other.
In many states, it is rareto find leaders who scout vacancies only to fix their own. In some of thestates, their reps in the NASS actually got many positions but they sold themto others while their relations waste under the trees, scratching their headsbefore them and hand them nuts.
The plateau people havedemonstrated a dogged political expression that will stand for long. They havechosen President Buhari, the APC and returned Governor Simon Lalong againstJerry Boy, a far more indigenous in the Plateau. The message the good plateauand Governor Lalong are telling us is that we have passed that stage of divideand cheat Jonah Jang and co established to expand their dynasty of HBK – hate,betray and kill.
For those who know Plateauof the past, even Maje’s scores in all the elections since he started out areamazing. Those who share our love and hard work for unity of individuals,groups, associations, states and the nation will understand why this is worthsaying. Those who are blinded by their roles in our divisions and hatred forgood character will never understand, whatever the worth of the man and whatever Maje stands for.
So, yes. This is a votefor Maje. But it is a vote I can’t cast. And even if the evil pilots will seethis first, I hope one right person may see the reason for it and take itplaces and who knows? It may influence some decision. In any case, this is notsponsored and it is not meant to attract any attention except the objective forwhich God knows I write:
To help open the eyes of our people so they can stand up against dogma, impunity and corrupt ways sponsored, patroned and sold by persons who live by dividing us, by imposing false hatred out of many’s refusal to serve their ill-whims; and above all, to find good character in every person holding any office to always be the one who must act for and, on behalf of the public.
Character is Maje’sspecial trait. Humility, selflessness, thinking about, for others and takingtrust to where it belongs are billion dollar traits that many of us will remainpoor of because we can hardly get them. Not by keeping the usual habits tolifetime. Not by frowning at every public good from which you cannot takesomething big. Not by hating persons for no reason but personal.
So much as I paint a good character;it is few that can see it. The blind can never see. Maje has consumed the goodwillof his people and earned their trust. If a Muslim can be Governor in Plateaustate in the years ahead, it will be only Idriss for the simple reason ofcharacter, goodwill, respect, honour and his bias for only the good ofall. And he is one House member we cantrust who shares the vision PMB is fought over.
And he is loyal to PMBalong with his Governor who earned PMB’s good side first. Both are Plateau’sillustrious sons. And Plateau is a strong force in the belief in Buhari. Firstit delivers the President, the Governor and a good person as a Rep from theWase area. He has a strong influence in the peace campaign in the Plateau whichnow entrenches relative harmony and gradually restores trust among the people.
What this means is that ifpersons like Maje and Lalong remain in high places, the state will continue tobenefit from public good like peace, harmony, trust, respect and collaborationfor development among the people. These are the indices by which Plateau can beassessed in a long time. But you need strong persons to consolidate therecorded progress.
Those who are incitingothers from the same NC to run against Maje are also the same cousins and morecohorts doing the same for the Senate presidency. And ABS and BYD will neverclean their hands from it. I don’t think ABS has learnt any lesson from his greatpolitical downfall which was the outcome of the same evil he has beenimplanting in the NASS throughout his years.
Be thankful that the same God who masterminded that fall is watching and at the end, it is someone they all dislike that will eventually emerge. Let them continue. Watch. Chuckle.
Hassan Alhaji Hassan can be contacted on 08032829772/08050551220 (text only with full names and address)abuna2406@gmail.com
The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect WikkiTimes’ editorial stance.
