a few months ago, the Bauchi State cabinet was dissolved by the governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, in a move that came to many as a surprise. But for those who are familiar with the governor’s antecedents as a man desirous of making maximum impact wherever he found himself, they saw it coming.
The governor’s decision to dissolve his cabinet, as gathered, was aimed at re-positioning his administration ahead 2019 when he is expected to retain his seat to match the two terms enjoyed by his predecessors in the persons of Ahmed Adamu Muazu and Isa Yuguda who both spent eight years ruling the state.
The desire of Abdullahi Abubakar to bring about positive political and social reforms, transparency, panache and finesse to governance in Bauchi State since he assumed office on May 29, 2015, has been met with resistance from various quarters both within and outside his political divide.
But as someone who sees himself as an active participant in the growth and development of Bauchi State, having started his career early in life, in the state, shortly after its creation in 1976, Abubakar appears determined to change the fortunes of the state from “retardation of progress and retrogression,”.
To this end, he had refused to succumb to the antics of those who are bent on dictating the pace in the state, even when, according to him, “these people do not share my vision and aspiration to reset governance in the state for the benefit of the common man on the streets of Bauchi State”.
He said, in a recent encounter, that his government has suffered lots of controversies because he had chosen to do things differently, adding that, “I took over a state that was already prostrate. We were elected when labour was still on strike. Civil servants were not paid for four months. I negotiated with them to call off their strike action, promising to pay the arrears once I was sworn in. They agreed and once I was sworn in, we fulfilled our promise to them.”
He added that, “I took over N125 billion debt in staff claims and another N15 billion gratuity owed to civil servants. Our wage bill is N5.1 billion. But since we came in, I can count the number of times we received above N5 billion from the federation account, yet, we do not owe a single kobo as salary in Bauchi State. I do this as a deliberate policy because the people of my state rely on salaries to keep body and soul together and to also boost the state’s economy.”
However, despite his good intentions, his opponents argue that his policies and leadership style have tended towards generating unnecessary controversies, making analysts to ask if the crises-ridden All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state under his leadership still has the goodwill of the people to secure victory for a second term in 2019.
Though he is yet to declare his intention to seek another term, his opponents, with the APC, are already spoiling for a showdown with him, as some aggrieved members of his party, all of whom he defeated at the party primaries in 2015, are also of the view that he had an easy ride in 2015 but promising that 2019 would be a different ball game.
One of the grouses about Abubakar by some highly placed politicians and chieftains of the APC in the state is that they see the governor as running a “one-man show administration.”
One of Abubakar’s sworn critics is Ahmed Yerima, who is representing Misau/Dambam in the House of Representatives. He believes that the governor is an “arrogant leader” with a “know-it all posture and disposition.”
Yerima has also variously accused the governor of never consulting with anyone on issues that bother on moving the state forward.
Another of the critics of the governor is Senator Ali Wakili, who is representing Bauchi South and who has variously complained that there was no single input from stakeholders from across the state before the governor named his now dissolved cabinet.
For instance, Nigerian Tribune was informed that the appointment of the former SSG, Shehu Bello Illelah, who, like the governor hails from Bauchi South, was an insensitivity to the people of Bauchi Central, considering how zoning formular is highly respected in making appointments in the state.
But the former Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communication, who is now the Special Adviser on Education, Mohammed Sabo, said that Shehu Illela’s appointment was based on merit considering his rich experience and the role he played in the Transition Committee.
However, it was gathered that the recent appointment of Mohammed Nadada Umar, former SSG during the eight-year tenure of Ahmadu Muazu and later the governorship candidate of the PDP in 2007, as the new SSG, from Dambam in Bauchi Central, could be a weapon by the governor to win the hearts of the people of Bauchi Central ahead 2019.
Apart from the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Shehu Kawuwa Damina, it was further gathered that there was no notable political appointee from the area in this dispensation.
Whether the governor’s new appointment will be enough to soothe aggrieved politicians from the area who complained of being used and abandoned will be determined in the days ahead when he names his new cabinet.
One thing which is certain, however, is that the way the governor handles political appointments in the weeks ahead will determine his political future as 2019 edges closer.
Another factor that is militating against the governor is his no-love-lost posture with members of the National Assembly, led by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, which a close source opined that among the 12 members of the House of Representatives from the state, 10 are with Yakubu Dogara while two are on the fence.
Also, all the three Senators from the state: Suleiman Nazif Gamawa, (APC, Bauchi North), Isa Hamma Misau (APC, Bauchi Central) and Ali Wakili (APC, Bauchi South) are not with the governor, should their utterances and actions be anything to go by.
Yakubu Dogara and his supporters claimed that their grouse about the governor was his poor handling of civil servants’ salaries in the state and the misuse of the N8.6 billion bailout funds.
Available records, however, show that all the interventions from the Federal Government, in form of bailout and Paris refunds to the state, were all used to pay workers salaries and other entitlements.
In fact, the governor has been commended by the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for settling the backlog of civil servants’ salaries he inherited from his predecessor.
While most state governors, including those of the ‘so called oil rich states’ owe workers’ salaries, workers in the state noted that their case was different, adding that governor Abubakar has been consistent and regular in the payment of their salaries and other emoluments.
Senator Ali Wakili, while further speaking, said the governor’s problem was that he turned his back on the APC and the politicians that worked for his emergence shortly after he won.
Wakili further said that the crisis started because the governor refused to operate in accordance with most of the things they agreed upon during the campaigns, citing his failure to conduct local government council polls and control of the resources of the third tier of government as a betrayal on the part of the governor.
However, a confidant of the governor declared that the National Assembly members were being unreasonable saying, “Look, we were all elected on the platform of the APC. And after the elections the federal legislators have refused to come back to the state but remained in Abuja .”
If the crisis between the governor and Dogara is not settled, most voters from Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa Balewa, where Dogara represents will most likely not go to the governor in 2019. This will also be the case with his colleagues in the House of Representatives like Ahmed Yerima and others who are solidly behind Dogara, including the Senators.
In fact, Ahmed Yerima’s supporters have been calling on him to run and if he decides to, he might become Abdullahi Abubakar’s nemesis even if the federal lawmaker from Misau fails to go far with his aspiration.
Already, with the internal crisis rocking the APC in the state, most of the supporters of the National Assembly members are considering leaving the party and this will seriously deplete the fortunes of the APC in the state and negatively impact on its chances at the polls in 2019.
But Aminu Tukur, a member representing Lere/Bula constituency in the state Assembly has vowed that they would not leave the party.
Aminu Tukur, who was a former Campaign Director of the Governor, and an avowed supporter of the Dogara/Wakili faction of the APC, said the Governor has already shot himself in the foot and to leave the party because of him was a wrong step for Dogara and his supporters.
He said those of them who worked tirelessly for the APC in the state and who are die-hard President Muhammadu Buhari supporters, would only leave APC if the President decides to leave for another party.
Interestingly, Tukur and Wakili were reportedly suspended by APC in their wards a development the lawmakers say was only a ruse, orchestrated by the supporters of the Governor.
He said, “and since we were all elected on the platform of the APC, it was the duty of the Governor, as the leader of the party in the state to ensure full compliance with party directives”.
A stauch supporter of the Governor said, “And he indeed pursued that path of peace vigorously. The Governor and I never knew Dogara had gone into an unholy alliance with members of the PDP. When he emerged the Governor I told him in plain language that it was an act of God and that he would give him all the required support, having emerged.
“All these, the Governor did. Check the records, the Governor has been subsidizing the LGs, to enable them pay salaries. I hope they (lawmakers) are not under the illusion that they have oversight function over the Governor, when they are not the state Assembly members”.
The National Leadership of the APC, has since waded into the crisis, but there seemed to be no breakthrough yet with the Senator Chris Ngige-led fact finding Committee which recently visited the state.
If the crisis is not resolved, it could dent Abubakar’s chances if he decides to run again, since most of the Federal legislators have huge support base at the grassroots.
For instance, if the crisis between Abubakar and Dogara is not settled, most voters from Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa Balewa local governments, the Federal Constituency which Yakubu Dogara represents will most likely not vote for the Governor in 2019.
This will also be the case with his colleagues in the House of Representatives like Ahmed Yerima who are solidly behind Dogara, including the Senators.
In fact, Ahmed Yerima’s supporters have been calling on him to run and if he decides to, he might become Abubakar’s nemesis even if the federal lawmaker from Misau fails to go far with his aspiration.
Already, with the internal crisis rocking the APC in the state, most of the supporters of the National Assembly members are considering leaving the party and this will seriously deplete the fortunes of the APC in the state and negatively impact on its chances at the polls in 2019.
But Aminu Tukur, a member representing Lere/Bula constituency in the state Assembly has vowed that they would not leave the party.
Aminu Tukur, who was a former Campaign Director of the Governor, and an avowed supporter of the Dogara faction, said the Governor has already shot himself in the foot and to leave the party because of him would be a wrong step for Dogara and his supporters.
He said those of them who worked tirelessly for the APC in the state and who are die-hard supporters of the party would only leave APC if President Muhammadu Buhari decides to leave for another party.
Interestingly, Aminu Tukur and Ali Wakili were reportedly suspended by the APC in their wards, but the lawmakers have declared that the suspension was a ruse, orchestrated by the supporters of the Governor.
Another factor that may work agaist the Governor’s chances is the recent Supreme Court verdict that pronounced Senator Ahmed Makarfi as the authentic leader of the PDP a development which is also capable of denting the chances of the APC in Bauchi in 2019, especially if the opposition party in the state could put its house in order.
Heavy weights in the PDP like former FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed and Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi all have the financial muscle and grassroots support to stop the Governor while Muhammad Ali Pate too is working behind the scene to fight for the seat.
Also, upcoming politicians like Professor Abubakar Sani Malami, Mahmoud Maijamaa Ajiya and Aminu Hamayyo who were once Commissioners for many years during the 8 years reign of immediate past Governor Isa Yuguda are battle ready to wrestle power from the Governor with the strong backing of the immediate former Governor who is the main financier of the Green Party of Nigeria.
and then