Despite the distraction by the main opposition to cause division, MOHAMMED YANGIDA reports that Nasarawa state government is poised for democracy dividends
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In Nasarawa state, it is said that the time to do away with divisive rhetorics and religious sentiment is now as the opposition party makes desperate moves to take over power in the state, but indigenes of the state have vehemently resented tribalism and religious bigotry. They overcame misinformation and outright falsehood fabricated to confuse and mislead them by the desperate opposition in the state.
This was when they matched out and voted for competence, leadership, trust and growth of their state.
They believed so much in their governor, Abdullahi Sule and worked tirelessly for his victory.
His vision is that of a state that is more united, peaceful, prosperous and self-reliant where citizens will unleash their potential and achieve their goals without inhibition. This is just as he promised to do his utmost best to carry everyone in the journey of development.
Besides, in his first term tenure in 2019, Governor Sule had kept faith with his promises and covenant with the people of the state, by striving to work in a proactive manner to ensure relative peace while leveraging on that to attract investors to the state.
Opposition to the govt
However, the opposition party in the state argued that their votes were robbed during the March 18 governorship election that produced Sule as governor.
It argued that there were alleged cases of irregularities in some the parts of the state and non-state actors that undermined the process.
The state PDP chairman Mr Francis Orugu said anybody who is aware of the Nasarawa story till the recently-concluded governorship elections needs not to be told that injustice is what the state operates on right now.
According to him, “Deep in the conscience of both the election handlers and those holding power right now, somebody has been robbed of his mandate. You cannot change election result and claim God gave you that mandate.”
On the issue of alleged sponsored nude protest by the PDP women, Orogu said, “To say women are being sponsored to appear nude in protest speaks volumes. We feel for anyone who may not feel the pain of these women.”
For the PDP guber candidate David Ombugadu who recently appeared on a live television programme monitored in Lafia, he made revelations regarding the continuous display of nudity supposedly in protest to the outcome of the election.
He revealed that 80 percent of the women that protested were widows who were protesting the killings of their husbands. He claimed the women were mothers and that he and his party cherished them.
Pundits have asked whether it is not Ombugadu and the PDP that hijacked the continued cry for justice by the widows of slain security operatives and now conscript them into a show of nudity while branding them as PDP supporters?
It said, “Because it is on record that during the outlawed Ombatse militia group murdered over 75 security operatives in Alakyo, Lafia local government of Nasarawa state, and attempted to make the state ungovernable for the former governor, Umaru Al-Makura simply because the Eggon felt it was their turn to lead the state.”
On a clean slate
But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was satisfied with the way the whole processes went and declared Sule winner of the March 18 governorship election, scoring a total of 347,209 votes whereas, his closest rival, David Ombugadu of the PDP, scored a total of 283,016 votes.
The political pundits have begun weighing in on the matter and responded to it by speaking of the shrewdness and capacity of the opposition to manoeuvre the citizenry in order to gain public sympathy.
“For all intents and purposes, the movement by the opposition seems to be gearing up to make the state ungovernable by the governor, just as it happens during Al-Makura and Ombotse saga.
“We must put the peace and security of the state first. I am emphasizing that the interest and security of the state should dictate the terms of engagement of any movement.”
Also according to an analystan Musa Isah, diligent and disciplined opposition is essential for democracy. “There is no democracy, if there is no educated opposition. No government is short of opposition. But one thing that drives genuine oppositions and that should be the nucleus of every group is the interest of the state.”
He condemned the nude protest by PDP women supporters even as he described the nude protest as a desperate move from the opposition to debase women in the state to achieve their political ambition.
He observed that its obvious that PDP will continue to suffer defeat as long as bigotry remains the sole motivation behind its quest to govern Nasarawa state.
Accordingly he said there were legitimate windows of opportunities available for PDP to seek redress rather than taking the streets in nudity to protest the outcome of an election acclaimed by both domestic and local observers as fair and credible.
“As the matter is before the election petition tribunal, it’s better the opposition present its case where it will matter most and not to resort to emotional blackmail.”
However, the state APC secretary, Aliyu Bello said APC has been watching with studied interest the desperation of the opposition to prey on Governor Abdullahi Sule’s 347,209 votes.
He stressed that the leadership of the party APC is watching closely the desperation and antics of opposition PDP in the state.
He accused PDP of playing hanky panky with the nude protest by the its women to gain public sympathy.
“They want to capture power by all means, using shrewd tactics. They are thirsty and desperate to come back to power.
No need for desperation
At this point, Malam Ibrahim Addra, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sule said it would not be wrong to call the strategies of the opposition PDP as desperate.
Addra warned the main opposition party in the state to desist from its desperation, saying anyone seeking to claim power should do so without setting the state on fire. “If you destroy the state you are seeking to govern, what other state will you govern”? Addra asked.
He accused the PDP of seeking to deploy information warfare in its quest to return to power. He said PDP had advocated the destruction of the state just because they could not have their way they seek to gain power via desperate. “
Consequently, Governor Sule said the true path to greatness lies not with those who make hate and divisive speeches either in their own name or in the name of some funny ethnic, religious or women groups, but with those who toil day and night to create, innovate and gives all a better future for the citizenry.
He therefore called on all citizens of the state to lend their support to his administration, with a promised to manage the state’s resources in a prudent manner and with the fear of God.
Sule warned that his administration would not hesitate to do whatever is necessary within the provision of the laws to take on any person or group of persons that are working to truncate the peace in the state.
According to the governor, “We shall expose and go after anyone who seeks to sacrifice the peace and brotherliness we enjoy in Nasarawa state for their selfish interests.
Sule said he had the capacity and capability to lead from the front, do his utmost best to embrace every citizen of the state in his government.