Why Tinubu Won’t Be Welcome In Niger

By Lawal Musa

As politicians especially those with eyes on the 2023 presidency intensify cross regional alignments and realignments emerging indications also predict that the continued anti-people politics of isolationism by Lado Suleja, the House of Representatives member representing Suleja constituency might have already completely and permanently sealed any drop of hope for the acceptance of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu anywhere in Niger State.

Lado who floats himself as champion of the Tinubu campaign in Niger state unfortunately happens to be the most unpopular, discredited and rejected politician in the political history of the state.

Having acquired the reputation of the most inept, incompetent, and inconsistent elected political representative in the state in recent years, one would think he should in the very least retreat from participation in further public debates or perhaps try to reclaim his lost integrity and credibility by mending his ways.

Alas! Character and mannerisms die hard: rather than working to redeem his soiled public image at least for the sake of the course of the Asiwaju he claims to promote, his recent misadventure that has spelled monumental doom on the acceptability chances of Tinubu.

Recently, in a unanimous resolution between the Party Leader who is the governor of the state, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Bello, and Party Caretaker Executive Committee and the National Assembly Caucus Committee led by Senator Abdullahi Sabi the caucus resolved that the next Governor of Niger State should come from Niger South Senatorial District to maintain and respect the zoning arrangement that is operational in the State.

But Lado, characteristically tactless, and hypocritical, after being part of the meeting that reached the above conclusion, went behind the scene to denounce any zoning arrangement, therefore jeopardizing the the interest of Asiwaju Tinubu whose ambition is essentially hinged on hopes for zoning of the presidency.

It is important to place on record here that the zoning arrangement prevailing in Niger State has kept the State as one big peaceful political family since 1979 with the administration of Awwal Ibrahim (Niger East) which was interrupted intermittently by the military from 1983 to 1992 when Musa Inuwa (Niger North) became governor before another military interruption that lasted till 1999.

From 1999 – 2007, Engr. A. A. Kure (Niger South) was governor before his replacement with Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu from 2007 – 2015 to be succeeded by the current governor, Abubakar Sani Bello since 2015.

It therefore speaks volumes of Lado’s pent-up arrogance, undying prejudice against interests that best serve the people of the state to undermine such an entrenched democratic practice and in the end, succeeding in shooting down his future public career and certainly the chances of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

(Musa, a public analyst, wrote this from Abuja.)