By Emmanuel Gwatana
Politicians in Nigeria, as you know, live in ways that are hardly understandable to the electorate they represent. It is their strange ways that makes the Nigeria version of politics dirty.
Party cross carpeting is strange in advanced democracies but in Nigeria it has become a norm. Look at Imo state for instance, no sooner has Hope Uzodima won his gubernatorial election at the Supreme Court, all the lawmakers who were hitherto PDP members cross carpeted to APC. What would you say? Checks and balances between the executive and the legislature is dead on arrival in Imo State. What a democracy.
Most interestingly is the fact that when a Nigeria politician is contesting for a position he goes to any length. Some time they go bizarre just to win an election.
When election campaigns are high that is when you see an average Nigeria politician seeking for all sort of support from the electorate. It is at such times you see politicians been bribed to cross carpet from one party to the other.
During elections politicians who cross carpet from their party to the ruling party in their states are assured that they are one. No one is a “joiner” but members of the same family with equal rights. Grammar. Don’t trust an average politician at the peak of campaigns. An average Nigeria politician can trick his parents in a desperate move to win an election.
Recently, the Nigeria electorate body conducted a gubernatorial election in Kogi state. At the eve of the election many of the electorate cross carpeted to the ruling APC party in the state. The usual rhetoric that “both those who were founding members of the party and the ones who cross carpeted to APC are one.” was re-echoed. No founder, no joiner. The political prostitutes clapped to high heavens. Mumu!
Now the elections are over in Kogi state. Commissioners and few Special Advisers have been appointed by Governor Yahaya Bello. Political gladiators of APC extraction are still awaiting to join the governor’s cabinet.
More contentious today is the rumored council elections in the state. Kogi State government has not said it would conduct council polls but those who know more than the government do are busy fighting each other in a bid to forcefully take over council positions.
Only recently a political phrase was introduced to wit ” the Alhaji Yahaya Bello (AYB) boys are different from Governor Yahaya Bello (GYB) boys. The framer of the nauseating new Kogi political phrase is no other person but Alhaji Toafiq Isah the Kogi state Chairman of All Local Government Association of Nigeria (ALGON).
In the last four days that i had the privilege to accompany the brand new commissioner for Local Government and Chietaincy Affairs, Barr. Salami Momodu Ozigi for an official visit to Kogi traditional councils in the state, I kept hearing Alhaji Taofiq re-echoing in the palaces of the traditional rulers that the AYB boys are far different to GYB boys.
What Alhaji Taofiq is saying for those who care to listen is that Alhaji Yahaya Bello (AYB) boys are those political foot soldiers who were with Alhaji Yahaya Bello even when he was not a governor while the GYB boys are those who joined Alhaji Yahaya Bello when he became a governor. If i can understand him, the AYB boys deserve to remain in power at the Local and state level as long as Governor Bello is in power while the GYB boys could be considered should there be any remaining political vacancies.
May be to him the poor performances of some of the AYB boys in offices at the Local and state level in the last four years in office does not matter. What matters is that AYB boys should be given a preferential treatment especially in the quest for council polls. Vintage Alhaji Taofiq.
I am told Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello has acquired a very big bag full of packages known as political surprises which he has started unleashing in his second term in office. When he recently named his commissioners some of the so call AYB boys lost out and their lost was the gain of the GYB boys. Even in allocating the portfolios to his commissioners, Governor Bello surprised many who were eyeing super ministries.
As political gladiators in Kogi APC keep angling for chairmanship and council positions in the rumored Council polls or re-appointment of Local Government Administrators in the state, my simple advice is that the AYB boys should take caution.
To me, Governor Bello has kept saying it won’t be business as usual as he journey the last lap of his administration. The appointments he has made so far attest to this.
WEEP NOT AYB BOYS!
