Freedom of association is a fundamental right enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This freedom includes right to affiliate or abandon any political group dependent on individual’s defined interest. It is an accepted aphorism that permanent interest matters most in political decisions, especially in aggregating convergence of a group platform to provide services to the masses.
It is, therefore, based on the conviction that PDP, a platform on which Governor Wamakko was elected governor of Sokoto State, is now not serving the original attractions to belong to the party. The original attractions are principles of good governance and keeping faith with agreed party machinery through fair leadership that serves the best interests of all stakeholders.
In recent times, the present leadership of PDP has jettisoned broad party management to veer towards divisive antics that encourage conflicts and vendetta in party machinery at state level. The national headquarters has become insensitive to true party organisations at the grassroots, preferring misguided inputs from cronies at Abuja that are least knowledgeable about the yearnings of their immediate constituencies. As deputy governor in the previous administration, Wamakko was not antagonistic against his traducers and remained a loyal party man of that administration. Soon after a splinter group broke away from ANPP to form DPP, he was the candidate to beat during his campaigns under ANPP against DPP that was at the saddle of power; and he easily overwhelmed his opponent.
The court cases that hunted Governor Wamakko’s administration for long was the fallout of a hasty marriage of the ANPP with PDP. Had he won under his original party (which he could) there could not be any basis for litigation against him. Though losers might muster up tissues of litigatory hem, but definitely could not be enough for the traumas and expenses of a re-run election.
The series of court cases was not in the overall interest of Sokoto people and their economy. And every reasonable Sokoto person would not wish its recurrence in the history of the state. The cases heated the polity of the state that it was only through Wamakko stoic security management of the situation that ensured the continued peace in the state. Notwithstanding Wamakko’s efforts to sustain peace and good governance in the State the renegade PDP members that assumed permanent abode in Abuja continued to stoke ember of disunity and outright sabotage of Sokoto State administration. Their closeness to the present leadership of PDP at the headquarters has become an opportunity to frustrate genuine intentions to broker peace and reconcile divergent views.
It is in this light that Governor Wamakko summed it up that personal vendetta among national officers of the PDP now appeared to trump national issues and quest for united, prosperous and energetic Nigeria that caters for everyone. He, therefore, decided to join forces with APC to provide alternative government that could position it to give Nigerians the good and stable leadership they so earnestly yearn for.
From all indications the PDP as presently does not work in the interest of providing a stable economy that generates jobs for the youth. Employment generation is a veritable tool to stabilize a nation. It is a major issue in developed economies. Nigeria has the resources to generate surplus employment. Unemployment is squarely the root cause of insecurity in the country today, and thus poverty.
In Sokoto State, this problem was addressed through youth-centred programme of administration by first appointing young people into his cabinet and following it up by building sustainable avenues to have the youths gainfully engaged. He was vehemently criticized for that initiative but now gets accolades because the young men identify critical areas of modern development.
Now that Governor Wamakko has left PDP to pitch camp in the APC fold, it has posed a challenge of relevance in the political equation of Sokoto State to those Abuja and home-based spoilers. It is a challenge to show their capacity without in the absence of Wamakko. For us in Sokoto State, the bottom line is peace, good governance and steady development.
Mohammed S. Umar wrote from Sokoto