What is the stand of Argungu Emirate on the current agitation for power shift?
Argungu has produced five deputy governors in the past, as if those from the emirate are not good enough to produce the governor of the state. After Shehu Kangiwa in the old Sokoto State, Argungu Emirate has not produced a governor. All the ministers from Kebbi State from 1999 to date, including the two governors within the same period, are all from Gwandu Emirate Council.
Does that mean that the seven APC governorship aspirants are from Argungu?
They are all accomplished individuals who can give good accounts of themselves. We are talking of people like Abubakar Chika Mallami, who was national legal adviser to the defunct CPC, Mallam Bukhari Bello a seasoned lawyer and administrator, former secretary of Nigeria Human Right Commission and Mohammed Nasir Sala Koko a retired civil servant and an Abuja-based airline operator, and Dr. Bashir Gwandu a former vice chairman of National Communication Commission (NCC). There is Bello Bagudu, one time member of House of Representatives.
From Argungu Emirate, we have Dr. Yahaya Abdullahi, a former Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) lecturer and also a retired federal permanent secretary. There is Ahmed Mohammed Sama, a two-time permanent secretary and immediate past secretary to the State Government. We have Suleiman Mohammed Argungu, a two-time deputy governor.
From Zuru, we have Alhaji Bala Musa Sakaba a former Secretary to the State Government and Sadeeq Sule – Iko Sami, a Zuru prince and Kaduna-based businessman. With this arrangement, the problem of misgovernance in Kebbi State will soon be over.
To whose interest is the extension bid of the expired tenure of LGC in Kebbi?
The previous LG chairmen were elected for a 3-year tenure but for political expediency, the governor sent an executive bill to the State House of Assembly which changed the tenure from three to two years. The local government Exco took the government to court; from High Court in Birnin Kebbi where they won the case, the state government was ordered by the court to return them to office or pay them compensation for one year period. The government appealed the case in Sokoto Appeal Court. The verdict was the same, they went up to the Supreme Court, where the verdict remained but up till today nothing has been given to the former Exco. Now, for the same reason of political expediency the state government decided to retain the local government Excos in order to achieve a pre-determined agenda. This action by the state government and the ruling PDP is illegal and unconstitutional and will not go unchallenged.
Arewa LGA, where you come from, has endorsed the governor for Senate. What is the implication of that to the APC and Argungu?
If nobody within the PDP, especially the incumbent senator, is ready to challenge the governor for the ticket of the party then the governor should be rest assured that he will have a very formidable candidate from our group to contend with. The governor’s senatorial ambition is being threatened with the speculation that he plans to edge out the incumbent senator, Isah Galaudu from Augie, and pick the PDP Senatorial ticket for the Kebbi North Senatorial seat and also give the PDP gubernatorial ticket to Gwandu. If that happens, Gwandu Emirate will end up having a governor and two senators because the governor is from Suru local government, which is one of the six LGA’s that constitute Kebbi North Senatorial zone but under Gwandu Emirate. This will leave Argungu with no governor or senator. A situation the AREDA believes is untenable. In my own opinion, the issue is more complex than shouting domination by Gwandu Emirate.
So what is the way out?
With our four local governments of Dandi, Arewa, Augie and Argungu against the two of Suru and Bagudo for the governor, the result is known if at all democracy is a game of numbers. We don’t know who his handlers are but I think they bungled his case. The governor having the executive power and the resources and influence should have opened negotiation with AREDA. It’s a give and take thing. But no, his handlers were busy using divide and rule tactics and some abusive words against the agitators. We don’t know whether we will listen to them again because with this consensus group, we have already resolved to have a governor or at least retain our senatorial seat. We are no longer interested in becoming deputy to any governor this time around.
