By Abubakar Dan Bala
Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria take delight in addressing themselves as distinguished citizens because being a senator of the most exalted legislative body is not a mean achievement. But the other part of the equation is, do they possess special qualities like eloquence, superb legal craftsmanship, and how well do they advocate the interests of their constituents, or they are satisfied answering the title of “Distinguished Senator” without the responsibilities of the office? In a nutshell, the title seems to mean different things for some of them. It is important to stress that Nigeria has been blessed with great senators, those with larger than life personalities displayed through eloquent articulation on issues and when they speak the Senate and the public gallery is held spell bound.
We have also seen some disastrous senators, because elections being an emotional issue, don’t always present the most competent representative. In that league of “unproductive senators” is Senator Ibrahim Lamido who represents Sokoto State East Senatorial District. The story of how Senator Ibrahim Lamido defeated the more competent Senator Abdullahi Ibrahim Gobir who was the Senate Majority Leader in the 9th Senate is a confirmation that, in elections, the best doesn’t always win.
Senator Ibrahim Lamido comes off clearly as a “distinguished adventurer” and a political gambler, with no record of sponsored bills, moving or seconding a motion which doesn’t require much effort. He has acquired a notorious reputation of being an ingrate and untrustworthy political associate. That is the way he appears in the eyes of most politicians in Sokoto State, including those who ensured his victory in the 2023 elections.
For daring to plan a factionalization of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State, which is seriously frowned at by the APC Constitution, even though he lacks the capacity to create any crisis in the party, except on the pages of newspapers, his second term ambition seems to have been sealed by his misguided war. Furthermore, if the state chapter so decides, he can still be disciplined.
Clearly, Senator Ibrahim Lamido, with his various press releases, had violated Article 21 (a), (iii) and (iv) of the Constitution of All Progressives Congress, 2014, as amended. Specifically, Article 21 (a) prescribes that “Offences against the Party shall include the following: i. A breach of any provision of this Constitution. ii. Anti-Party activities or any conduct, which is likely to embarrass or have adverse effect on the party or bring the party into hatred, contempt, ridicule or disrepute. iii. Disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the Party and factionalization”
Senator Lamido, who chairs the Senate Committee on Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases, has done nothing remarkable that, at the end of his tenure, he would be remembered for either in the Senate or by his constituents in Sokoto State East other than attempting to forment crisis.
In the Upper Legislative Chamber, Senator Lamido has certainly not made any definitive impact, although he has a very good platform to do so. Were he a goal getter, the Committee under his chairmanship, and the agencies under his committee’s oversight, affords him the golden opportunity to shine on the national stage, if only he cares about the frequent outbreaks of Cholera, Lassa Fever and other contagious diseases, or if he had chosen to promote the provision of healthcare facilities at the grassroots. Alas, Ibrahim Lamido remains only a Distinguished benchwarmer at the floor of the Senate, denying his people quality representation.
As the saying goes, an idle mind, being the devil’s workshop, provides fertile ground for mischief making. It was indeed laughable when Senator Ibrahim Lamido and his fellow travellers sponsored publications in the print and electronic media, to give the false impression that he was embroiled in a war of supremacy with his former governor, mentor, political godfather and fellow Senator, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko. The bone of contention is said to be about whom controls the APC party structures in Sokoto state. What an effrontery! What a nerve!!
The truth is that the party is in the safe hands of its elected officials and whatever problem that Senator Lamido has is with the party and not Senator Wamakko who has remained a father to all the tendencies in the party. Senator Ibrahim Lamido is not and can never be on the same political footing.
Senator Lamido has obviously over rated his political weight in Sokoto state and allowed himself to be used as the arrowhead of a futile plot by a click of Abuja renegades from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He ought to know from the messages by the teeming supporters of the party, that all his schemes and noise in the media will not have any impact on the political fortunes of the party in the state. The party remains the undisputed heavyweight champions with the death of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. That one thousand Lamidos of this world cannot shake the Iroko tree.
Senator Ibrahim Lamido reminds one of the proverbial Eneke, the silly bird in Chinua Achebe’s classic novel, Things Fall Apart, which stood up after a heavy meal and felt bold enough to challenge the gods to a mortal combat. He lost like the distinguished senator will certainly do. Unlike Aminu Tambuwal he played his hands early.
To emphasize the point, let it be known to everyone who cares to listen, that the Sadiq Achida led APC is on ground and has the unshakable confidence of the party elders and Governor Aliyu Ahmad Sokoto, the performing Chief Executive of the state that suffered rape in the hands of the former governor Aminu Tambuwal.
Commendably, there is no friction between the two well-groomed political leaders; Wamakko and the governor. Instead, what you see playing out in their midst is a fruitful synergy, mutual respect, and productive cooperation, all of which is working to the utmost benefit of the good people of Sokoto State. This is quite unlike what obtains in some other states across the country, where political fathers and their godsons are entangled in violent struggle for dominance, which militate against good governance and quality service delivery to the people.
With the seamless cooperation between Aliyu Wamakko and Governor Ahmad Aliyu, and the solid support of all party structures, it ought to be obvious to political gamblers and detractors, including Senator Ibrahim Lamido and his Abuja enablers, that there is absolutely no leadership vacuum, and no friction, in the Sokoto State APC chapter.
The State APC Chairman, Alhaji Isa Sadiq Achida, made this very clear when he told inquisitive journalists that: “The APC is intact in Sokoto state. We don’t have any factions, and we will not tolerate any group trying to create one”.
The same position the APC North West Alliance for Good Governance (NWAGG), in its swift reaction to the storm in a teacup, created by Senator Lamido and his co-jesters stressed. In a press briefing, the Secretary of the Alliance, Comrade Auwal Shuaibu, reaffirmed what most people already know, that “the leadership of the APC in Sokoto state is safely in the hands of Acida”‘, while dismissing the actions of Ibrahim Lamido-led interlopers as “needless distraction”. Comrade Auwal added: “For some over ambitious elements to come from nowhere and try to usurp the leadership structure is the height of deceit”.
But how can anyone explain the disruptive actions of Senator Ibrahim Lamido and his cohorts, who got their breakthroughs in politics through the personal support of the party chairman. They do not qualify to be called losers, as we reserve such tag for some disgruntled members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who are yet to fully recover from the resounding and well justified rejection they suffered in the hands of Sokoto State electorate during the 2023 elections.
It is even more disgusting that the Ibrahim Lamido-led interlopers relied heavily on lies, distortions, misinformation and character assassinations to launch their feeble challenge against the duly constituted and result oriented party and government structures in Sokoto state. They equally tried, but woefully failed, to sow the seed of suspicion and distrust among the appointees of the Ahmad Aliyu administration, by claiming that many Commissioners and top players in the administration are secretly supporting the dissidents. Admittedly, political appointees could play the saboteur script, but the camp of the governor is alert to detect and deal with any significant double agent who tries to sabotage the people oriented 9-point agenda of the administration.
You are forced to laugh out loud when their bland and tactless comedy was packaged and presented to the public as a “supremacy battle between Wamakko and Lamido”. Real political battles are not fought and won in the air, nor with propaganda and misinformation. You need to have the people on your side, and the people can only stand with you if you have done enough to earn their trust. This is where Wamakko and Governor Ahmad hold the edge against their opponents. Ongoing physical projects, social reforms and economic stimulus in Sokoto state are enough evidence to convince honest people that the incumbent political leaders are determined to improve their living conditions.
Indeed, Governor Aliyu Ahmad Sokoto has worked hard in the past 20 months to redefine governance, especially in a state where the immediate past administration of Aminu Tambuwal failed woefully to make the people feel the impact of leadership. It is to the credit of Governor Aliyu Ahmad that salaries and pensions are being paid on time, after clearing eight years of unpaid pension and gratuity of over N14 billion, left behind by the derelict Tambuwal who chose to govern the state from his cosy residence in Abuja so he would not feel the pains of the people he claimed to govern.
It is also to the credit of the new government that roads are being built across the three senatorial districts, and connecting nearly all the 23 local government areas of the state. Of particular interest to this observer are the completion of Alhassan-Fagga-Bakaya road at the cost of N2 billion, as well as the Prison-Yagawal-Na Baguda road, awarded at the cost of N2.6 billion in Tambuwal local government areas. This was a project totally neglected by the immediate past governor despite the fact that Tambuwal Local Government is his native area council.
Time will fail us if we continue to list the ongoing developmental strides of the Ahmad Aliyu led administration in health, education, agriculture and support for the federal security agencies to sustain the war against terrorists and bandits in the state.
In spite of all the good works of the present administration in Sokoto State, under the able leadership of Dr Ahmad Aliyu, misguided fellows on steroids chose to keep circulating baseless rumours of nonexistent corruption cases and misinformation about borehole and beautification contracts. In due time, according to the state APC Chairman, Sadiq Achida, all the people peddling rumours of corruption against individuals and government functionaries in the state would be compelled to prove their allegations in court, or face the penalty for defamation of character.
Therefore, many observers look at Ibrahim Lamido and his hirelings as misguided adventure seekers who throw pebbles into the ocean to see if they can create a big storm. Truth is, they cannot start any serious storm in the Sokoto APC family. The pebbles they threw in the news media can only cause weak ripples, but cannot have impact on grassroots politicking in Sokoto State.
*Dan Bala is a commentator on public affairs
