By: Israel Umoh
The battle for the soul of Nigeria’s Senate has peaked with the key contenders for the Senate Presidency crisscrossing the political divide to lobby members-elect to support their legacy ambition.
Senator Godswill Akpabio from Akwa Ibom, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State and Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia, among others have intensified horse trading for the Number 3 position expected to alter the political permutation of the next Red Chamber.
Apart from Akpabio posing a potent power and garnering more than 69 Senators-elect, Yari is seen as near-vociferous voice but spent force in the steamy race.
So, the endorsement of Senators Godswill Akpabio and Jibrin Barau, as Senate President and Deputy Senate President under All Progressives Congress by the former Governor of Zamfara State and three-term Senator, Senator Ahmad Rufai Sani, (Yarima Bakura) has weakened Yari’s camp, spiking the race beyond religious and ethnic configuration.
To deft political analysts, Yarima’s endorsement of Akpabio is expected following his frosty relationship with his estranged political son, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, former Governor of Zamfara State.
Yet, there are odds that may scuttle Yari’s ambition to mounting the throne of the 10th National Assembly.
Already, the APC (NWC) has zoned the position to South South geopolitical region particularly Senator Akpabio. For him to call the party’s bluff by jostling for the position is akin to a bird flapping its wounded wings which may deny it safe perching on tree top.
Another odd against him is the fear of Muslim-Muslim ticket that the party fought hard to emerge victorious during the February 25 Presidential/National Assembly election in the country. With President and Vice President being Muslims, the party wants to douse tension by ensuring a Christian, not another Muslim to saddle affairs of the Upper House.
In his interview with Arise TV on Monday, Yari said he was in the race, and argued that it would be unfair for the South to control the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary. Many Twitter users took him to the tatters that he was forgetful of President Muhammadu Buhari administration controlling the Executive; Senator Ahmad Lawan in-charge of Legislature and Muhammad Tanko who was in-charge of Judiciary, all of them Northerners.
Betrayal of political mentor is seen as another factor against him. During the fourth Republic on May 29, 1999, Alhaji Ahmad Rufai Sani, the Yariman Bakura largely dominated the politics of Zamfara State, Nigeria’s North West.
A former staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, he was elected as the first civilian executive Governor of the state under the platform of the defunct All Peoples Party (APP) from 1999 to 2007.
In 2003, Hon. Abdullaziz Yari, a former lackey was elevated by Yariman Bakura to the position of State Chairman of All Nigeria People Party (ANPP). In 2006, Yariman Bakura again assisted him to secure a ticket to the House of Representatives after they had toyed with the idea of making him a running mate to Maimuda Shinkafi who had served as deputy governor from 1999 – 2007.
Yari subsequently won election to the House of Representatives in 2007 and was appointed Chairman, Committee on Loans and Foreign Debt. Coming from the same Senatorial District as Yariman Bakura, Yari easily won the Governorship election in 2011 against an incumbent Maimuda Shinkafi who had defected from the ANPP to PDP.
Abdullaziz Yari, like his immediate predecessor, seemed not to have correctly valued his relationship with his principal and soon lost focus and tutelage. He was saved by the transformation of ANPP as a legacy party into APC in 2013. Although he won election for a second term in 2015, his drift into destruction had just begun. The people felt let down and frustrated by his disposition to governance and the contradictions that his lifestyle exemplified.
Yari’s election to the office of Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) further alienated him from his people, and with new-found ego he sought to dominate and diminish his benefactor. This became his waterloo despite the humility of his benefactor in offering to withdraw from the Senate after a third term to allow him have a shot since they both share the same district.
Dissatisfied with that offer he contrived how to impose a successor Governor. It was this decision that aggravated the security challenge in the state. As the saying goes “you cannot fool all the people all the time,” the outcome of the election processes of the 2019 general election has shown that he railroaded everyone a supporter of his into nowhere as the Supreme Court judgment has proven.
Dr. Bello Matawallen Maradun, who once represented Bakura/Maradun Federal Constituency and a Candidate of the PDP at the March 2019 elections was sworn in. With time Yariman wooed Matawalle who previously had served as Honourable Commissioner under his regime to join the APC with a view to improving on the security situation in the state. Rather than stay on course, Matawalle soon nested with Abdullaziz Yari and other rebellious protegee to undermine the national relevance of the great Yariman Bakura, an icon of peace and religious tolerance. This they displayed glaringly during the APC Presidential nomination primary in June 2022.
The former Governor of Zamfara State, Ahmed Sani Yarima who was one of the presidential aspirants was not able to clear the votes of the delegates from his state during the just-concluded APC presidential election.
One of the delegates who declined sharing his identity said although Yarima was the doyen of Zamfara politics but he has lost his political relevancies due to some factors.
Speaking in Gusau, the State capital, the politician explained that almost 90 per cent of Zamfara State indigenes have lost political interest in the former Governor because of his parochial political strategy.
Continuing, he stated that when Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle, former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari and senator Kabiru Garba Marafa were having political problems within the APC in the State which he said led to factionalizing the party, Yarima refused to amend the cracks on the walls of the party.
“Yarima who claims to be the doyen of Zamfara politics could not call the warring factions to order since he actually made all of them politically but he formed an unholy alliance with Governor Matawalle.”
“Even the only four votes he got from Zamfara State delegates, two came from Bakura, his own Local Government Area while the other two came from Anka Local Government where his mother came from and where he was born.”
He said over twenty-five delegates followed the new political godfather in the state, who is the former Governor, Abdul Aziz Yari, saying they would go wherever he goes politically.”
“Though Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima brought former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari to political limelight, the former Governor has relegated Yarima to the background politically because Yarima sold his political relevance.”
Contrariwise, all their assertion has come to naught as shown by the outcome of the March 2023 Gubernatorial election when Matawalle failed to be re-elected. Also, a member of their conspiracy, Senator Marafa lost his bid for election into the 10th NASS Senate. It was commonly sang in Zamfara State saying,” they awarded Yariman four votes, but Allah has given Matawalle and cohort four years.”
That failure has exposed the truth about Zamfara elections whenever they exclude the Yariman Bakura factor. In 2019 Abdullaziz Yari railroaded everyone to failure and PDP was declared winner by the Supreme Court of Nigeria. In 2023, the electorates having become wiser made the decision by themselves and so PDP candidate Dr. Dauda Lawal was returned elected as Governor for Zamfara State.
It seems the troubles of Yari have just increased. The loss of APC to PDP in the gubernatorial in Zamfara has further exposed the corruption allegations against him. Yari said to have impoverished the state is allegedly accused of corrupt practices.
Yari who was asked by one of Arise TV anchors Tuesday morning why he failed to reduce the 92% poverty level in Zamfara when he was in office stated that he wasn’t the first governor of the state.
When he was asked why he should be Senate President when he failed to reduce the poverty level in his state whilst living an ostentatious life, Yari responded, ‘‘What has Zamfara State to do with the Senate President? Before me how many governors governed Zamfara State? Am I the first governor?”
When asked what he did to change the poverty level, he continued; ‘‘Am I the first governor? It is on record that I was the governor and I have done my best. The issue of poverty is all over the Northern parts of the country. You know it so it is not the one that I can make a magic.’’
Again, Economic and financial Crimes Commission officials in Lagos said they found a 100-room hotel situated in Lekki, Lagos constructed by Governor Yari of Zamfara state with $3 million he allegedly stole from London-Paris Club loan refund to Nigerian states.
The governor who was the chairman of the Governor’s Forum illegally diverted N19 billion reportedly meant for “consultants” from the Paris club loan refund which had been illegally paid into the account of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) by then Nigeria’s Minister of France, Kemi Adeosun and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Apart from the $3 million, Yari was also accused of diverting N500 million from the Paris Club refund to pay off a loan, EFCC further alleged.
According to the source, he withdrew N500 million from the N19 billion Paris Club refund from the account of Nigeria Governors Forum from the N522 billion allocated to the 36 states and deposited the sum into a mortgage bank account.
Yari then transferred the sum to the mortgage bank from which he had borrowed N800 million to purchase to properties in 2013. According to the source, the governor was able to renegotiate his debt from N800 million to N500 million.
Overall, the ex-governor is said to have embezzled the sum of N2.2 billion from the N19 billion set aside illegally to pay “consultants.”
Should the EFCC want to carry out a diligent prosecution of former Governor Yari for the numerous corruption allegations, he may not be available to even participate on the day of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.
His quality of education is also not helpful for someone seeking to lead the legislature of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 21st century; especially after highly cerebral Dr. Bukola Saraki (a medical doctor) and Dr. Ahmed Lawan, a Ph.D. graduate of Cranefield Institute of Technology, United Kingdom.
As Yari is needling for the plum job, he faces more uphill tasks that drown his ambition. Orji Uzor Kalu may have room mate romance with Senator Lawan, yet he appears ill-prepared for a sojourn to echelon of the Upper House. Nursing entitlement mentality for the position is inconceivably adulterous against the wishes of Nigerians who are yearning for radical leadership change in the legislature commonly adjudged as ‘rubber-stamp’ to a more dynamic but vibrant one to positively influence Federal Government’s programmes and policies for a better society. As the race continues to generate enthusiasm and interest, Nigerians and indeed people in the Diaspora await the formal inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023.
