By: Shehu Bashir Esq.
For the first time in my entire life, I am considering shaking hands with Senator Bukola Saraki and indeed, I am going to be shaking hands with him. This is the handshake I had publicly and privately rejected for over two decades.
I am probably one of Saraki’s fiercest critics. I don’t know of anyone else who has been more politically ferocious with Saraki than myself.
I stood against him in almost anything he did in government and I wasn’t willing to accept his leadership style, not even for a billion dollars.
Although, I have not fought him without a reasonable cause and I have never been bitter in my approach with him. My principle of “stick and carrot” approach remains unchanged.
If there was going to be a repeat of what he did wrong then, I would still stand to criticize him for it notwithstanding my current soft spot for him.
Bukola Saraki has never enjoyed a pinch of my friendly consideration. There is nothing his allies have ever told me, to give him a chance that has ever gone down with me.
If I have the permission of those people, I will mention their names at a later date and how they tried so hard to win my heart for Saraki. I vehemently rejected any overture from them.
My reasons were simple—I don’t deal with any figure who sees relationships as a slavish engagement.
I agree that, in any official capacity or bureaucratic setting, there will always be a superior and subordinate hierarchical classification. This should come with symbiotic regards for one another without any authoritarian influence.
Much of my anger with Senator Saraki then was based on my perception of his “over bossy” attitude or tendencies. This has formed the basis for which I judged his government and anything he did, as a governor and more importantly, as the President of the 8th Senate.
In 2011, I had the toughest pressure to openly align with him and pledge my loyalty. However, being a very “stubborn” man that I am, with indelible Fulani DNA, I wasn’t threatened by the possibility of losing the favour of the company I was keeping then if I continued to decline. I declined anyway.
If not for this stern but peaceful principle, I would have been “mandated” to join the PDP, Saraki’s party then, which could have “forced” me to have the handshake with him in 2011.
I was just too intentional with my principles than to be lured by anything other than mutual respect. I am still very principled, intentional and very respectful too.
In 2015, it could have even come with a lot of incentives, just for me to belong to Saraki’s camp. Again, I remained a “one-man Army” on a solo voyage of fighting for freedom. I operated on self respect and money always failed at buying my loyalty.
Then came the O To Ge struggle of 2019. I wasn’t just a “General” in the political Army that fought off the hegemony as it were, I was in the forefront of the battle.
Nothing was more important to me than to make such statement that there should never be any man somewhere who should claim to be a god in a father’s stature. Leadership should not be by godfatherism. God is God. Man is man.
In 2023, the overture came with the most strangest and most interesting request. The incentive was so tantalizing that a gullible and vulnerable person would have jumped at the bait.
I can tell you, if I had rushed at that offer, and succeeded in the political adventure, I would be sitting on the same table with the power that be in Nigeria today. Again, I humbly declined.
While I recognize that every reasonable person should take lawful advantage of any slightest opportunity, especially in this shaky atmosphere of political uncertainty, to find himself a path to financial breakthrough, seeking political power and influence through appointment, etc, I resent the implication of me having to shift my ground because money was involved. Money does not win my favour, integrity does.
I do what pleases me, in fairness to human conscience and at no direct negative orchestration against someone else. Anything outside decent political rivalry and contest, you will not see me there.
Congregation requires a sharp leadership but the leadership should be mutually respectful of everyone. I believe, that mentality will help in advancing good governance, to recognize the right persons to be placed in the positions of authority without compromising the required skills, capacity and competency to do the job.
We are in the build up to 2027 general elections. The attitude we fought Saraki for, which we thought was only possessed by him alone has been found in higher deposit in the attitude of those we replaced Saraki with. In fact, I make bold to say that theirs is worst.
There is almost nothing that we rebuked Saraki for—the claim of political hegemony, favoritism, nepotism, dynastic politics, greed, corruption, etc, that are not in abundance in the affairs of governance of the incumbent governor.
As a matter of fact, in fairness to anything we can describe as equity and justice, Saraki would have been seen as an angel in all these alleged vices.
Saraki didn’t stunt the growth of Ilorin people to get into political relevance at federal level. In fact, Saraki promoted many qualified Kwara people into strategic positions as federal CEOs, SSAs, Executive Directors, and Board Members of high stake government Agencies.
Saraki sponsored candidates as ministers. Saraki recruited some of the eggheads into government. And Saraki didn’t appoint kindergarten into position of authorities.
Every other excuse against him has vindicated him, going by the aversive behavior of those we trusted to replace him.
Ironically, every good we thought Saraki didn’t do enough has become the best Kwara has ever gotten-in human capacity development, institutional creation and social development. And everything we condemned that Saraki did has been the order of the day in this government. What are we talking about?
Why would anyone in our clear conscience think Saraki should be cremated while the governor should be crowned. For what exactly?
It is on this note, considering the similarity of our political agenda for 2027 general elections that we now share in common, it will be better to give my handshake to Saraki free of charge than to pretend in sanctimony with the government of exclusion of the current governor.
What God cannot do does not exist. The Supreme Being must have made this the eventuality at this critical time. It is coming when the rules of engagement have been mutually and reciprocally established — no animal is more equal than the other.
Life is all about destiny, we can never be sure unless God decides. Change is constant but it must not be engineered by covetousness, greed, gullibility, sycophancy and servility.
We are led by that divine direction with a pinch of decent human influence.
One of Bukola Saraki’s greatest come back strategies was the choice of Engr. Kale Kawu as the governorship candidate of his party. No other candidate could have done the magic of overwhelming acceptance at this critical time.
Kale Kawu unwittingly won my heart for Saraki. Take note, I have never even met Kale Kawu in my life but I am a man who is “easily” lured into admiration by your altruistic service to humanity.
It is also important to note that Saraki’s choice of Rev. Cornelius Fawenu, a very influential Pentecostal Pastor from Kwara South was a decision made by a man who is ready to win an election.
The nomination is balance per equal, in capacity, competency, qualifications and fair ethno-religious representation. It is not like the kakistocratic ones, mediocritically put together for APC by the governor.
I also think Saraki has demonstrated the attitude of a man who has learnt from the bitter experience of the past. The forces of resistance he suffered from Kwarans in 2019. The betrayal he suffered from his most trusted allies after his political travail and the fall back from the wrong fight he picked with the federal interest in 2015 have all baked him into a brand new leader with a sophisticated wisdom. I believe.
Saraki’s free will to concede certain higher political positions to the new members from G-15 -TOP-KRC for the 2027 general elections shows that he is now ready for inclusive and humble governance, driven by recognition of intelligence, competency, integrity and public interest.
Loyalty of your subordinates should not be taken as servility. The mere opposition to your leadership style is not necessarily a rebellion against you or disrespect to your authority. We do not need to crush those who oppose us. We can either convince them to our side or defeat them with our high level political values.
Dissidence should not be taken as a personal hatred. When matters of relationship are based on issues of political governance, we must respect everyone and believe that everyone has the right of growth without any deliberate antagonistic encumbrance.
I am sure these reasons — the choice of Kale Kawu, his remorseful posture and zero resistance to accommodate KRC assets with rare concessions convinced many old opponents to align with him, my humble self inclusive.
CAVEAT EMPTOR: The fight for Kwara 2027, the alliance with Sen. Bukola Saraki and the “Datiemo” mantra is not the fight for Saraki’s personal agenda but the revival of the soul of the state that had just gone into comatose in the hands of the one we thought was a better doctor to treat the ailing state.
The irony of this reverse order is that the Saraki that we trolled as a bad leader will now be on the train to push out a rather worst leader.
The most dramatic part of the swing is that both of them will be learning the biggest lesson of their lives-never to see leadership as their family hereditament.
There is no way a group of people will not have a leader. A herd without a shepherd will run in ruins. Heaven abhors a vacuum. However, no leader, so privileged enough, should see himself as a demigod.
It worth the flexibility of my principle, for the good of the state and the people of the state, for me to say with my bare chest that I shall be working with Saraki with all my life without any pecuniary cravings. This is to free my dear state from the hands of the man who is building a new dynasty with his kindergarten lackeys.
I am an APC member. I will not defect to another party. However, I will work in loyal and humble partnership with Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki, to deliver President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Rainbow Coalition candidates in Kwara state.
It is what it is. Datiemo!!!
GOD IS HERE!