Kebbi politics: A failed smear campaign

The political scenario that begins to unfold in Kebbi State concerning the likely governor in 2015 is in the news again. So far, over 20 aspirants from the three Emirates have emerged jostling for the seat, but many of them underground. But even before the race begins in earnest one aspirant from the southern zone is so frightened of other aspirants from his zone that he is engaging in futile media attacks against other hopefuls. The former general appears to be ready to smear the personality of any other aspirant from the same zone for some reason best known to him. But what the reading public does not know is that it is not his enemy only that comes from the southern zone. Among the potential aspirants that could defeat him anytime, any day, in any political contest, there are eminent personalities who have made history during their various tenures in the military in changing the course of Kebbi State social, economic and educational history. History is replete with the pedigrees as well as track record of service for the betterment of the Kebbites over theirs. So, the sponsor of the write-up has a lot of work to do. In fact, he does not know that, if smear campaign against a particular aspirant is what he is set out to do, he is gravely mistaking. From Zuru Emirate, there are Senator Muhammadu Magoro, who was a general in the army, Senator Tanko Ayuba, who is also a retired general in the army and also a onetime military administrator in Kaduna State during the IBB regime. And they are both likely to be in the race for governor in 2015. In the same manner of desperate politicians who could do anything to get to power, that aspirant said he was endorsed by youths from the Zuru Emirate. this is a false claim obviuously made to deceive the gullible public. The big question is, who are the youths? Under which duly registered union or forum or association? On what basis? In fact, to have mentioned the youth endorsement in the article is a great folly and idiotic in politics. The so-called youth endorsement is a sham, it never happened since in the write up, the real identity was not mentioned. In conclusion, it is worthy of note that the person whom the sponsored write-up is targeting is no doubt a retired general in the Nigerian Army, and a bona fide indigene of Zuru Emirate who has made an ineffaceable mark in the history of the Emirate and Kebbi State as a whole in the area of developmental projects throughout his working life and after. Above all, he commands a lot of veneration in the hearts of all manners of people in the entire state and beyond. Besides, he never wavered by changing his indigeneship out of desperation for any position in his life. Jaafar K. Hamid, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero