With the verdict of the Supreme Court last Monday that, finally put paid to the struggle of Senator Aliyu Wamakko to wrest the governorship of Sokoto State from incumbent Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of the PDP for his political crony, Ahmed Aliyu of the APC, it is almost certain that the political career of Senator Wamakko may have taken an irreversible downward trend from the height of relevance, power and authority.
Senator Aliyu Wamakko came to political limelight in 2007 when he was elected the governor of Sokoto State after resoundingly defeating Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, the candidate of the outgoing governor, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa. The phenomenal feat by Wamakko, a hitherto obscure political entity, was largely as a result of a broad spectrum of support generated by a cross section of the political elite and the traditional institution, by the Sultanate. But for that convergence of such centers of power, Wamakko was clearly a minion and a no match in the contest with Bafarawas political structure. Alas, far into his reign or rather political power as a governor, he was to forget that it was neither his influence, political sagacity or, material wealth that catalyzed his triumph in the historic election.
At the zenith of his power, then governor Wamakko became antagonistic towards most individuals and interests whose support and goodwill in no small measures catapulted him to the Olympian height. For example, he became antagonistic towards the Sultanate, precisely his Eminence Sultan Saad Abubakar III. It got so bad that in the buildup to the 2019 elections, one of the campaign refrains at rallies was: Sabon Gwamna Sabon Sarki meaning, a new governor, a new Sultan. An unmistakable declaration of intent to dethrone the Sultan, in the event of their victory, the APC was clearly shooting itself in the feet. It was a fatal mistake because, the people of Sokoto revere the sultanate and would not tolerate any actions to disparage or bring the institution to disrepute or ridicule. Amazingly, Wamakko had so soon forgotten that, in fact, the abrasive hostility of Attahiru Bafarawa towards his Eminence, late Sultan Mohammed Maccido was about the main factor that led to the mass resentment of the outgoing governor. His victory was therefore not as such, due to the love the people had for him against their love for Bafarawa.
In 2011, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan had made up his mind to scuttle the second term bid of then governors Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, the latter, because President Jonathan was not happy that the Sokoto delegates to the PDP Presidential Primary Election of that year voted against him in favour of Atiku Abubakar. That was one of the reasons why the President asked his then Minister of Sports, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman to resign and contest the Governorship of Sokoto. Wamakko was rattled and shaken by the Presidents opposition to his desire to run for a second term. While Wamakko eventually succeeded in clinching the PDP gubernatorial ticket, it is pertinent to recall that the resentment of him by Jonathan was such that Governor Wamakko, contrary to the practice of the PDP, was never given the privilege and honour of nominating Ministers appointed from Sokoto. Dr. Haliru Alhassan who was Minister of State, Health, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir who was Minister of Youths and Social Development and Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, Minister of Transport, were nominees of the Sultan and not Wamakko as State Governor.
Jonathan failed with regards to his plans for Sokoto essentially because of the actions and support Wamakko had in the trio of Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, then, the Attorney now APC National Vice Chairman North West, Senator Umaru Dahiru and Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal who was then Speaker, House of Representatives. In spite of the fact of the open secret that he was tactically and surreptitiously opposed to his emergence as Speaker, Tambuwal in his magnanimity and consideration for the superior interest of Sokoto State accepted to work towards ensuring a second term ticket for the embattled Wamakko. Using his influence as the nations number four political figure Tambuwal went to work with Inuwa Abdulkadir to influence the selection of Nyesom Wike, then Minister of State, Education, to supervise conduct the Sokoto governorship primary election that saw the emergence of Wamakko in 2011 as the partys flag bearer.
In his usual character trait, Wamakko was later to reciprocate the gesture of Inuwa Abdulkadir, Umaru Dahiru and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal by going against their political interest, indeed, for their jugulars. For example, while Umaru Dahiru ended up in a grueling legal battle with him, Wamakko has been spearheading the campaign to get Inuwa Abdulkadir removed as the North West National Vice Chairman of the APC.
The case of Aliyu Wamakko and Inuwa Abdulkadir is particularly illustrative of the person of the former when it comes to reciprocating kind gestures. Then the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the State, Inuwa Abdulkadir did all the legal bulwark and networking that sustained the embattled governor as well as staving-off many attempts to remove him. Those of us close to the party and government can also testify to the role of Tambuwal Inuwa and Dahiru in getting the otherwise political neophyte or, Local Champion to high tech political complexities at the national stage. In fact, Inuwa Abdulkadir was undoubtedly the single link used by Wamakko to Late Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, Marafan Sokoto who in turn, used his influence to get Wamakko embraced by the Sultanate.
Clearly, in 2019 elections and in furtherance of his posturing as, political godfather, the alpha and omega of politics in Sokoto Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko embarked on a scorch earth battle in a bid to unseat governor Tambuwal. Beside his lingering discomfort with the rising profile of Tambuwal, Wamakko was also working in league with a then serving governor and a former governor in the neighbouring states in advancement of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubus 2023 Presidential ambition and designs. A second tenure of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was, correctly perceived as detrimental to the project. Thus, the stupendous sums of money expended in the APCs lavish, extravagant campaign and the litigations that followed. The funding, it is said in knowledgeable circles, came from sources in Kebbi, Zamfara and Ikoyi, Lagos.
In spite of all the frenzy, desperation and humongous money that he sourced and sank into the battle for Sokoto in 2019, he was rejected and he failed to realize his cherished goal of wresting the governorship from Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. The failure of Wamakko can in a nutshell, be explained on the fact that he went into the battle virtually alone without those levers that he had used in his elevation in the first instance. The people of Sokoto proved to Wamakko and all those that believed that he was Sokoto and Sokoto was him, that it takes much more than money and grandstanding to win their hearts and votes.
Abdullahi Abubakar Majema, Hanun Kwana, Majema Tudun Wada, Sokoto.
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