By Mohammed Babadzuru
There is no doubt, politics is all about interests. It involves give and take, it also involves alignments and realignments, adjustments and compromises here and there. It is also a game of win and lose.
That is why some scholars describe politics as a complex game made only for the strong-hearted and for those with flexible hearts as, according to them, the moment one joins politics, one must learn to forgive fast because one’s opponent today could be his best ally tomorrow.
Another most interesting part of the politics is that faithful loyalists to a group, association or political party are rewarded for their loyalty, faithfulness and contribution to the party at the due time.
The current move and intrigues in the ruling party – the All Progressive Congress (APC), in respect of the chairmanship position of the party has caught the attention of most political watchers and analysts in the country.
As the consultations and clandestine moves in preparation for the 2027 general election had since begun, the APC is also mapping out plans to ensure it retains power, especially at the centre, come 2027.
This has resulted to speculations making the rounds suggesting that the chairmanship position of the party may return to the North Central part of the country, to hold firm the millions of voters in that region.
Considering that the APC is made up of many blocks, political analysts believe that the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) block should be compensated and appeased with the chairmanship position of the party.
This, they say, is necessary, to prevent them from pulling out of the APC to join the new Social Democratic Party ?(SDP) coalition that is gradually mobilising to challenge the current president and possibly take power from the centre.
Many members of the APC have, since the past few days, been pointing their hands towards the emergence of one of the key actors in the CPC block and a faithful and loyal member of the APC – Senator Tanko Al-Makura.
Recall that Senator Almakura was Governor of Nasarawa State for 8 years. He won his first term under CPC and won the second term on APC platform.
It is also worth recalling that Senator Al-Makura contested for the chairmanship of the APC when the tenure of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole elapsed but fate made it that Senator Abdullahi Adamu, from the same state with Senator Al-Makura, got the chairmanship position, instead.
As it stands, many believe that it is time to reward Senator Al-Makura and the CPC block by giving him the chairmanship of the APC.
Senator Al-Makura, in the political circle, is qualified and competent to drive the ship of the APC to success in the 2027 election because, analysts say about Nigerian politics right from the second republic.
It is worth noting that Senator Al-Makura participated actively in running the affairs of the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN) which was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic (1979–1983) when he served as a youth leader.
Since then, Senator Al-makura had been in partisan politics and held very prominent party positions over the years. He was elected into the Constituent Assembly, representing Lafia- Obi Federal Constituency in 1988-1989.
Senator Al-makura served as state secretary of the National Republican Convention (NRC), Plateau state, from 1990-1992 and was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State.
When he was elected Governor of Nasarawa state, in the 8 years of his tenure, Senator Al-makura proved to all that he is one politician who considers both the interest of his party and that of his people over and above all other personal interests.
How he managed the PDP-dominated House of Assembly and the intrigues leading to the impeachment drama in the then House left even his haters in shock till date.
In those 8 eventful years of being the Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Al-Makura demonstrated that he is, indeed, blessed with the ability and wisdom to manage crisis.
Ex-Governor Al-makura also demonstrated his talent and ability to manage crisis even at the party level nationally. He proved this when he was assigned to head the Peace and Reconciliation Committee for North East following a crisis arising from the APC governorship primaries.
In all the six geo-political zones, North- East has the largest governorship aspirants but within a short time, Senator Al-makura was able to reconcile and restore peace to North- East APC to the satisfaction and admiration of all.
Senator Al-makura achieved another feat in Ekiti, similar to the one he achieved for the APC in North-East. It would be recalled that at the heat of bitter rivalry among countless governorship aspirants in Ekiti APC, Senator Al-makura was invited by the national leadership of the party to go and resolve the confusion by conducting the APC primaries.
As expected, Senator Al-makura, at the risk of his life, went to conduct APC primary elections in Ekiti. He conquered against all odds, conducted the freest primary election that saw the emergence of the then governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
What Senator Al-makura did in North East and in Ekiti for the APC is his natural gift from the Almighty. He can replicate same in APC nationally and even in the Nigerian polity.
As part of his contribution to the growth and development of the APC since its formative years, Senator Al-makura is the only person that delivered his state to President Buhari’s CPC; he is the first governor that hosted all the governors on the merger train to a meeting in Lafia that saw to the formation of the APC.
His state, Nasarawa, was the only state CPC presented on the merger table during negotiations. In fact, Senator Al-makura is about the only governor who traversed the length and breadth of this country trying to ensure that the merger train arrives at the desired destination; and this came to fruition with the birth of the APC in 2015.
A man with such political exposures and sagacity since 1999, who achieved much for the APC, need to be rewarded this time around. The time to reward him is now.
Truly there is nothing APC can do to compensate Senator Al-makura for his entire efforts than to allow him occupy the office of the National Chairman.
Anything short of this will be interpreted by many as high level injustice and ingratitude by the APC.
It is therefore time for members of the APC to graciously and handsomely reward Senator Al-makura for his resilience, dedication, sacrifices, contributions, patience and loyalty to the party over the years. He has the experience and capacity to deliver the country to the ruling party in the 2027 general elections across board.
Babadzuru writes from Minna.