By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi.
18-9-2025.
SOMETIMES ago, I wrote about Nigeria not needing a regrouping of old political war horses in the country, suggesting that the country ‘NEEDS a CLEAN slate, NOT the regrouping of same corrupt politicians’.
PART of what I wrote at that time (30/3/2025) reads, “Not long after the beginning of the Ramadan, there began a protest (a storm of sorts) against the self serving and corrupt regime of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by some of the big names in the politics of the country.
“The protests was started and led by Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i, the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State. And from all indications, it was leading towards joining the Nigerian Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“By this write up, I am not by any means implying that I am a supporter of the godlessness that the ruling (ruining may be a better description of what is happening at all levels of the government in Nigeria, under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime) party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is currently engaged in. Far from it.
“Neither am I a fan of El-Rufa’i’s either. I am simply not in support of the current regrouping of some popular politicians, championed by El-Rufa’i, Kaduna State’s former governor, the same state where his hand picked successor and protégé, Uba Sani, has now become his trenchant enemy.
“The politicians said to be in the regrouping, include, Alhaji Nasir El-Rufa’I, former Vice President and Serial Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Waziri Atiku Abubakar, former Governor of Anambra State, and serial Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP),Mr. Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former Governor of Osun State and also former Minister of Internal Affairs, Alhaji Ra’uf Aregbesola and (former Governor of oil rich Rivers State and also former Minister of Transportation) Rotimi Ameachi.
“Also mentioned are former APC National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Danjuma Goje (a former minister and former governor), Rabiu Musa kwakawso (a former Minister and former Governor as well as current chieftain of the NNPP), Major Hamza Al-mustapha ( former ADC to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha), Senator Abdulaziz Yari (a former governor), Malam Ibrahim Shekarau (a former governor), Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami (a former Minister), Prof Usman Yusuf, Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senator Aminu waziri Tambuwal (former Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as former governor), Mustapha Sule Lamido (son of former Minister as well as former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido), Lado Danmarke (a serial gubernatorial candidate), Barrister Shehu Shema (a former governor), Senator Abdul Ningi, Senator Ali Madu Sharrif (a former governor) and Senator Aliyu Wammako (a former governor).
“Others are Senator Adamu Aleiro (a former governor), Senator Shu'aibu Lau, Abubakar Malamin SAN (a former Minister), Pastor Tunde Bakare (a one time running mate to Muhammadu Buhari), Adamu Maina Waziri (a serial gubernatorial candidate) and Sim Fubura (Rivers Governor), among the many others alleged to have moved, or are contemplating, a move to the SDP.
“That the number is counting and still loading, maybe because the ruling party has not ‘invited’ them to the dining table to share in devouring the National cake. Some of them may even be unhappy because they are not the ones in the driving seat to invite others for the sharing of the National cake.
“By the way, the El-Rufa’i group is made up in the main, by people who became stupendously wealthy on account of being ex-this or ex-that. They were stark poor or very broke, according to the confession of some of them, before occupying the offices that ‘made’ them wealthy.
“The country (Nigeria) NEEDS people like Professor Isa Ali Fantami, Professor Yusuf Usman, Senator Ali Ndume, Alhaji Ahmad Isah (the Ordinary President), Barrister Bukarti Bulama, Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed, Dr. Gololo, popular youthful Dr. Dan Bello PhD, apolitical like Malam Ahmed Filin Samji, etc, as the NEXT leaders at all the levels.”
I have still not changed my mind on that position, because they are the same people who started the rot that placed the country into its current situation of total economic collapse
THIS position of mine was recently reinforced by the ALLEGED influence of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the registration of the NEW political party, the AAAAAA. The AAAAA is a collection of the old horses, who gathered as opponents of the present regime for interest other than the Mario’s, in my own thinking.
MOST of them are dollar ($) billionaires, monies NOT earned from their SALARIES and other ALLOWANCES, or a BUSINESS enterprise. Many of them started and retired as government workers, who have NOT INHERIT the TREMENDOUS wealth ascribed to them, or WON it from a LOTTERY.
THE two-time former president (first, in uniform, then, in mufti) is again from an ethnic group that does not abandon its own who belongs to the same NAVOU RICHE class (from monies ‘made’ from the Commonwealth).The OLD MONEY does not care who joins the class, so far the money is NOT traced to illegitimate sources. Therefore to think that President Obasanjo will change his lifetime-honed habit and start being a lover of Nigeria late in his life, is HARD for me to believe.
SOME of the NEW MONEY made the wealth when the sum of twelve (12) billion US dollars were said to have been sunk in the efforts (phantom or futile) were made to provide ELECTRICITY in Nigeria. At the time, the US dollar exchanged for less than ten (10) Nigerian naira, in both the official and the parallel (black market) rates.
OF course, some of the people may not be with the group anymore, but many of those mentioned, and some others not in the group at the time, are part of the newly registered political party, and they appear to live no stone unturned in their determination to replace the present regime in 2027.
IN another write up titled ‘Great Wealth, Great Graft?’, which was written on 7/11/2024, I ruefully observed that, “One of the leading politicians in the country and former governor of one of the wealthiest states in Nigeria was recently arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for mind-bogglingly enriching himself with the people’s Commonwealth to the tune hundreds of billions of naira.
“He was alleged to have funded the presidential campaign of his party’s opposition candidate. He also holds a very big position in the party. If his party had won the presidential election, he would have been in a leading office in the country and he would be the one to direct the EFCC who to go after for graft.
“The suspect gave the opposition presidential campaign team N100 billion, and bought the ticket for the big position in the party for N8 billion. He was also alleged to give a screening committee N3 billion to clear a top politician in his party and himself. He was also alleged to be responsible for the presidential candidate’s trip round the 36 states, and of using the rich and influential philanthropist as his front man.
“The messy affair gave away some of the secrets of a lot of the stupendously rich business people who parade themselves around the country as philanthropists, ‘helping’ the poor in the society at home and abroad. Many so called big business people are alleged to be fronting for many former number one citizens, making the misdemeanour of the opposition former governor not a new thing in Nigeria, at all.”
MEANWHILE, let it be understood that I am as passionate about anywhere where there is injustice of any kind against the people, as I am
about my own state, Katsina. So the article I wrote on 21/8/2025 with the title, ‘Holidaying Governor, Come Back!’ on the dastardly happening in Mantau town was not because it (the town) is in my Local Government, Malumfashi. I could have expressed the same ‘passion’ if it had happened elsewhere in Nigeria.
THE problem is that I have neither the gift of the garb, the Sophistry, or the ELOQUENCE to pass the message clearly. To that extent, I have to bear the cross of my inability to express myself in a way that would be understood by the majority. The clarification may be a bit tardy, but it is NOT an apology for what was not DELIBERATELY intended to OFFEND, even though it may have appeared to be written with ‘passion’.
TO be sure, it is NOT in the character of Muslims to talk ill of others (whether alive or dead) in their absence, least of all LEADERS, without giving them the chance to defend themselves. (Islam has ABSOLUTELY forbidden that).
THEREFORE, all my articles are written with the same ‘passion’ expressed in the ‘Holidaying Governor’ write up, without bias to governor’s presence or absence (whereabouts) in the state.
May God not give the leadership of Nigeria to the leading actors who played a part in throwing the country into the general mess it has found itself. The job is being ‘COMPLETED’ by the current CLUELESS, INEPT and CORRUPT administration at the top hierarchy of the country’s political pecking order.
Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.
