With Gulak out in the cold...

Wonders shall never end. It was announced yesterday that Alhaji Ahmed Ali Gulak, the rambunctious Political Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan unceremoniously got the sack for reasons that were not disclosed. Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati merely said Gulak’s appointment was terminated with immediate effect and that the president “wished him well in his future endeavours.” How can you sack a man who has made so many enemies for himself in your behalf and then turn around and wish him well in his future endeavours? Which future endeavours? Since 2011 Gulak has attacked whoever was attackable in Nigeria. Anyone who showed less than total enthusiasm for Jonathan and his regime got the rough edges of Gulak’s tongue. Any trade union that went on strike under Jonathan’s watch; any member of the ruling PDP that showed less than total enthusiasm for Jonathan’s leadership of the party; any legislator who seeks to rein in the president, not to mention a member of an opposition party who wants to score a point against Jonathan, had to contend with Ahmed Gulak.

Even though the president has an official spokesman [Abati], an official spokesman of government [Maku] and a special “attack dog” [Doyin Okupe], Gulak outshined them all because he was ready to say things that the other three were reluctant to say. Gulak did more than engage the president’s critics and opponents on the airwaves. He engaged them in the streets as well. He floated numerous pro-Jonathan groups, of youths, women, students, traders etc. He retrieved such men as Ibrahim Mantu from obscurity and relaunched them on the wings of his pro-Jonathan groups.

From all indications that was where trouble came for Gulak. In recent days he was engaged in a battle against Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, who accused Gulak of interfering in the affairs of the Akwa Ibom PDP. A few days ago the Akwa Ibom PDP warned Gulak to concentrate on PDP affairs in his native Adamawa State, which it said needs serious help, rather than intervene in Akwa Ibom’s affairs. Ahmed Gulak took on the wrong opponent in Godswill Akpabio, the man who splintered the Nigeria Governors’ Forum on Jonathan’s behalf. Now Gulak is out in the cold. Maybe he will soon cross over to APC.