From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Special Adviser to the Kebbi State Governor on Communication and Strategy, Alhaji Abdullahi Idris Zuru, has said that voters in Kebbi State would not be cajoled into supporting the political ambition of the former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Zuru, in a statement made available to newsmen, noted that the people of the state would prefer continuity over an untested governorship candidate.
According to him, “As our nascent democracy gradually develops, so too does the consciousness of the public, particularly the electorates, of their legitimate rights to the dividends of democracy from their elected representatives.
“The development has apparently put many aspirants for political offices in a dilemma, while others consider it a healthy political development for patriotic politicians.
“Ahead of the 2027 general elections, a former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is among the possible aspirants whose interest in the governorship candidacy of some political parties in Kebbi State has started surfacing.
“This political development is unfolding at a time when stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have endorsed the incumbent governor, Comrade Nasir Idris, for a second term with a vote of absolute confidence in view of the unprecedented development achieved in all sectors within two years of his stewardship.
“Prior to that, prominent leaders, including all three senators, three members of the House of Representatives, and state assembly members, all formerly of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the majority of the membership of all opposition political parties in the state, have expressed their conviction in Governor Nasir Idris’s capacity to transform the state’s socio-economic and political development and thereafter massively defected to the All Progressives Congress.”
Zuru noted that other factors believed to have influenced their decision included the governor’s humility, generosity, regard for elders regardless of political differences, and compassion.
“However, the former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who claimed to be a founding member of the All Progressives Congress and served for eight years under former President Muhammadu Buhari, hurriedly resigned last month and rushed to join a coalition of mostly highly ambitious politicians under the new African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“His decision must have been necessitated by the All Progressives Congress stakeholders’ forum’s endorsement of Comrade Governor Nasir Idris for a second-term tenure and the apparent acceptance of the decision by the people of the state, the beneficiaries of Governor Kauran Gwandu’s so-far-executed development programmes.
“Ordinarily, the APC and its controlled state government, which are not only in a comfortable position of political stability but also committedly promoting true democracy, will have no issue with anyone aspiring for the governorship candidacy of any political party in 2027, as long as the people of Kebbi State are to decide.”
Zuru insisted that the need to alert the general public to Malami’s move was to protect them from being misled by his political gimmicks.
He said, “Can you imagine that a person who served as minister of a critical federal Ministry of Justice for eight years could resort to demonstrating unimaginable desperation through deception to achieve political ambition?
“Considering the displayed act of frustration, it becomes obvious that he has nothing to visibly showcase as his contribution that impacts the well-being of the people throughout the eight years.
“Be that as it may, it can comfortably be said that the people of Kebbi State benefited little or nothing from the relationship between Abubakar Malami and former President Muhammadu Buhari, as the bulk of the benefits were accumulated among family and friends, as could be seen in the way and manner investments have been displayed in different states.
“It is needless to remind the people of Kebbi State that the only empowerment programme the former minister can boast of bringing to the state was the federal government’s COVID-19 palliative materials and cash he collected on behalf of the people of Kebbi and distributed.
“It can, therefore, be understood that his introduction of an N300,000 cash transfer to individuals in the name of a loan is aimed at pacifying the people over his failures over the years.
“The former minister should be reminded that Comrade Governor Nasir Idris has, within the last two years, supported more than ten thousand members of the business community with more than ten billion naira, free fertiliser, irrigation pumps, power tillers, and financial support for increased agricultural production.
“This is in addition to the completion of inherited, abandoned, critical capital-intensive projects; restructuring of dilapidated schools and healthcare delivery centres; new valuable infrastructure in the health, education, and skills acquisition centres for identifying and utilisation of individual potential, among others.”
