As a major stakeholder in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State, let me without mincing words, first of all make it clear that, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not the choice of Governor Simon Lalong at the just concluded presidential primary of the APC that was held at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
It is clear to most people in Plateau State and beyond that Governor Lalong had an aspirant he was supporting for the presidential ticket of the APC but it was definitely not Tinubu who later won the ticket.
Governor Lalong threw his weight fully behind former governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, who has been his political ally for long and every sincere observer of political events can attest to this.
As evidence that Lalong was not keen on supporting Tinubu, the latter had during the campaign for the APC presidential ticket sought at different times to come to Plateau to speak with the delegates, but because Governor Lalong’s allegiance was elsewhere, he made it difficult for Tinubu to do so through various acts of subterfuge that postponed the visit indefinitely till the campaigns were over.
But because the people that worked for Tinubu in Plateau decided to celebrate their victory with humility and measured dignity, the Lalong camp assumed it can capitalise on the silence to play a fast one on the party to claim working for the APC candidate.
But let me state without fear of contradiction that those that worked for Tinubu to get the number of votes he did from Plateau delegates at the primary, were no other than APC governorship aspirant Chief Amos Gizo; Minister for Women Affairs Pauline Tallen; Member representing Mikang/Shendam/ Qua’an-Pan Federal Constituency, Hon. Alphonsus Komsol; my humble self and a few others.
And while we did that for the interest of our country Nigeria, we find it insulting that some people would try to reinvent the wheel by claiming what did not belong to them all in the bid to cash in on the situation for selfish gains.
But beyond the issue of who Governor Lalong supported, I make bold to say that he does not deserve the vice presidential ticket because he is not a leader that believes in justice and fairness.
Though there are claims that he has restored peace on the Plateau through the appointment of few Muslims in his cabinet, in the long run, such acts of tokenism have been exposed to have been volunteered only to serve his parochial interest.
As the saying goes, if the crocodile can crush its own eggs, what can’t it do to eggs of others?
The Hausa-Muslim community in the state which gave him the winning votes in all his elections have suffered serious marginalisation in the Lalong administration.
The governor’s meddling into the primary election to select a candidate for the Bassa/Jos North House of Representatives seat just to deny the Hausa-Muslims the chance to occupy the position boomeranged with the loss of the seat to the PDP, a development which has brought the once dead party back to life in Plateau State.
It is even worse with the siting of projects in the Hausa-Muslim dominated areas where no supervision is made over the few given and contractors are left on their own to drag the work endlessly as they wish unlike in the other places.
Besides, it is unpatriotic to begin to talk about religion or region as selling points for leadership when it should be merit and the ability to win the hearts of the people for the party that should count.
Lalong is not that popular and cannot attract the much needed number to add to what Tinubu will bring to the table as the vote margin in the two times he has won election as governor showed he only managed to pull through with a slight margin.
Tinubu should look beyond the deception if he wants to win in the general elections.
Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande,
former Minister of State for Information and Communication, wrote from Jos
