| Alh,. Garba Umar UTC |
Politics in Nigeria has
been so bastadized that many people doubt the principles of actors. However, it
appears that there are still a few good men in the art. One of such
people is former acting Governor of Taraba State Alhaji Garba Umar. His recent
actions have shown that there are individuals with strong values in
politics.
Here is a man who
is being wooed with juicy offers, just as he is threatened by some people to
lie about the gubernatorial primaries that were supposed to have held last
year. Yet, he has remained resolute and has stood firmly for the truth. Some
people might categorise this as sour grapes; the resentment of not being
the ‘anointed’ by the powers that be, but that is not the point. He, like every
human being who hates injustice, is pained by a process that has been designed
to uphold inequity instead of justice and merit, and has decided not to be a
part of it.
His statement that he
cannot lie before a court of law marks him out not only as a man of conscience
but as a man who understands the future.
The facts as referenced
by the tribunal sitting on the Taraba gubernatorial elections are that PDP did
not hold proper primaries and that Darius Ishaku was not a validly nominated
candidate in the April 11 2015 gubernatorial elections for Taraba State.
It therefore nullified Ishaku Darius’s candidacy and victory in the
election.
While prudence should
have led Ishaku to vacate the Governor’s Office, he decided to waste the time
of the court and the state by filing an appeal. Unfortunately for him, he now
needs members of his party who were cheated out of a properly conducted
primaries to rally round him. How that is expected to happen remains to be
seen.
Nothing last forever
they say and that is indeed true in the case of the PDP. The Taraba
ruling is an indication that the era of impunity is over. It might have
worked for a season but quite apart from the wind of change, is the fact that
the majority of Nigerians are tired of being taken advantage of by people in
power whose only redeeming quality is that they are not a threat to whoever
wants to prop them up and use them as a place holder.
The people of Taraba
are no different – they want someone at the helm of affairs who is
beholden to them and who puts their welfare first. As a child of the soil who
has achieved a series of firsts for Taraba and for women, the experience and
passion of Al-hassan is surely what the people of Taraba deserve at this stage
of their development.
All well meaning Nigerians,
who understand the importance of transparent processes and adherence to the
rules and regulations must watch carefully the proceedings and depositions
given at the appeal. Will Umar and Chief David Kente stand firm to their values
and be remembered in history as men who understand what it really means to be
loyal party members and concerned citizens or will the normal way of doing
business within the PDP prevail? Time will tell.
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