Bauchi 2019: Barr. Ahmed and the Visual Fallacy

By Bala Sunusi Bauchi

A recipe for professional disaster is when a person becomes too overzealous and hidebound in the face of a fast changing and increasingly sophisticated world. People often go down the drain when they cannot not define their limitations in order to appropriately position themselves in the scheme of things.

The intricacies of life require that we all remain steadfast in our individual callings so as to be able to justify. More than ever, people can easily fall between the cracks of their self-indulgence. It is no longer fashionable to perpetuate extreme trick of the eyesight.

Time being too precious and inestimable commodity to fritter away, but some people’s attitudes appeals for an irresistible and compelling time sucking attention and not to simply dignify the subjects but to set records straight and educates the people not to be beguiled, bamboozled, and fall victims of such shenanigans which they may sadly regret in later time when they’ve dangerously committed an irredeemable mistakes of their lives.

In essence, there is an urgent need to give some clarification to the recent defection of Barr. Ahmed Umar Farouk from the ruling All Progressives Congress APC to the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and his subsequent nomination as the party’s Deputy Gubernatorial Candidate in the upcoming March 2 2019 governorship election in Bauchi State.

For anyone who is familiar with his recent political history especially how he may have been much helped under the current administration, the action of the gentleman barrister might come off as quite disgusting. But, it is neither a crime nor aberration for anyone to align with a particular political party of his choice and to even further become its deputy governorship candidate. As such, Mr. Ahmed did not commit any crime. However, aside the argument that our man is exercising his civic rights, what is of more concern is the manner in which he exhibits a rather strange, if not reckless, enterprise of attempting to hoodwink Bauchi citizens for a selfish political gain. It is sad that the learned gentleman would agree to reduce himself to a letter writer of a ridiculous grade at a time he ought to tell people what he has in stock for them as deputy gubernatorial candidate in the state.

One asks, doesn’t he have anything to say apart from writing such laughable letter?

Mr. Ahmed had written an open letter to the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Barr. Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar disguising under the nom de guerre of the Concerned Citizens of Bauchi State instead of the People’s Redemption Party on whose interest he might have penned down his infamous letter.

It leaves little hope for upcoming generations of young Bauchi citizens for a self-acclaimed legal luminary who is expected to reasonably understand the legal workings of democracy as it concerns lawful political engagements to have reduced himself to the ridiculous extents of criticizing the defection of the former Governor of Bauchi State, Malam Isa Yuguda from the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Governor Abubakar for accepting and welcoming him into the APC’s fold.

It begs the big question of whether or not the duo err in the process.

Of course, Bauchi State Government has set up a committee to look at the eight years regime of Malam Yuguda in which Barrister Ahmed was a member of the committee which has since submitted its reports to the government for onward actions. within its jurisdictions. It is interesting and satisfying this report is not at the direct supervision of the governor as individual. The government of Governor Abubakar recognizes government as a system, and, prefers to run it as a process.

But this development does not in anyway strip off Malam Isa of his right to associate himself with any political party he is willing to identify with and at a time he so wishes.

Gov. Abubakar too does not pretend to have the power to stop or deny him or anyone of their rights to coming into the APC.

These basic civil literacy is so much essential in politics. Quite curiously, Mr. Ahmed do not appear to be conversant with these vital knowledge, little wonders his disparaging disposition.

How could a practical product of decamping have a gut to criticize someone for decamping? This is hypocrisy taken too far.

Barrister Ahmed in exercising his civil right like that of Isa Yuguda, decided to decamp to the PRP not because of anything else, but due to his personal conviction that things are not working the way he expected – why by the way is not for the benefits of the generality of the people of Bauchi State. Information is rife that he is merely trying to hoodwink the people with his letter for his personal benefit. Isa Yuguda had legally decamped to the APC. He has done this without Mr Umar being furious about it?

Let Mr. Ahmed Umar know that, in Bauchi state, governance is run as a system that is independent of the political parties and there is no iota of discretion in linking the two. In other words, it is disingenuous to attempt to establish any link between Malam Isa’s decamping to the APC with the report on his stewardship because the two are clearly different things and has no relationship whatsoever and should be treated as such.

Isa Yuguda was in the GPN before his journey to the APC and he was not a threat to the PRP until he joins the ruling APC.

Although he appears to have suddenly forgotten that he was in the BACYWARD and part of the government he is now condemning simply because he is now a running mate to Ali Pate of PRP. Equity begets clean hands and until facts are established, Barr Ahmed may need to be circumspect with his epistles.

In a little admonition, campaigns should be issue based as no amount of false accusation will make the people of Bauchi State change their minds in voting whom they have tested and trusted.

It was desperation and egotism that took Ali Pate out of the APC. He was not fighting for the people of Bauchi State or the APC as he claimed. but for his individualistic psyche and those that joins the bandwagon including Mr. Barrister possesses the same character and only time can tell as none of them deserves the mandate of the people of the state.
Under the stewardship of Governor Abubakar, the Boob’s your uncle syndrome is no longer existing, contracts inflating is an alien, and above all, the state treasury was shielded from the usual hand dipping and with remarkable projects executed and the ongoing, it’s enough justification that we are in the safer hand and those against the administration, are doing so because it’s no longer a business as usual.