Bauchi Deputy Gov’s resignation
The sudden resignation of Engineer Nuhu Gidado as Deputy Governor of Bauchi State on May 24 caused surprise and shock in the political world and was a sign that things were not well in the state. It was also a culmination of the acrimony in Bauchi politics, especially within the ruling All Peoples Congress, APC. This is the second time in less than a decade that the state would lose its deputy governor mid-term. Recall that back in 2009, the state’s deputy governor Alhaji Garba Gadi [now late] was impeached by the state assembly at the behest of Governor Isa Yuguda.
Former deputy governorGidado said he sent his quit letter to Governor Mohammed Abubakar through the Office of the Secretary to the State Government. He said he had earlier reiterated his commitment to serve for a single term. “Ordinarily, I should have remained up to the end of the tenure but with the current dampened spirit and waning zeal as it relates to my official engagements, my continued stay will not be fair and truthful to you as my brother and leader,” the ex-deputy governor said.
“In this regard, I feel sure that Your Excellency will readily recollect the most recent one-on-one discussion we had, precisely on Thursday, April 19th, 2018 in your office, where, among other issues, I expressed to you my contemplation to ‘step aside’ if need be, in order to free my conscience. I regret to say that it has become necessary to yield to that inner calling and may this development be in accordance with the blessed will and guidance of Allah (SWT), Ameen,” he wrote.
Governor Abubakar promptly accepted the resignation.He however described the tenure of his deputy as “meritorious” and therefore “deserving of commendation.” Governor Abubakar later told State House reporters in Abuja that those who resigned from his cabinet were those who refused to embrace change and drop their old ways of doing things that had destroyed the state. Even thoughAbubakar and Gidado paid glowing tributesto each other in the resignation and acceptance of resignation letters, the duo had a tumultuous relationship in the past three-years.Gidado was reported to have bitterly complained of being side-lined, and that he was a victim of the prolonged crises in the Bauchi State chapter of APC between Governor Abubakar and most members of the National Assembly.
Gidado had contested for the APC gubernatorial ticket with Abubakar in 2014 in a race that had ten strong contenders. He came third and Abubakar picked him as his running mate. Within a year their relationship became sour and Gidado stopped showing up for work for most of the past year. Even when he did he had little to do beyond reading newspapers, according to the reports. Gidado’s resignation came hot on the heels of other high-profile resignations from Abubakar’s government. In 2017 the state Commissioner for Budget and Planning Shehu Barau Ningi resigned from his position alleging that “the governor did not encourage members of his cabinet to offer advice on how to run the state.” Then also, Special Adviser to the Governor on Investment Samaila Sanusi as well as the Special Assistant to the Governor on Scheduling, Ibrahim Tahir Ibrahim resigned due to what they described as “unfriendly working environment.”
This spate of resignationsdoes not speak well of harmony within the state government and Governor Abubakar should get a proper handle on them. It is true that some crisis and tumult is expected in the political terrain as the 2019 elections approach but citizens also expect that governance and delivery of goods and services should not be sacrificed just because elections are approaching.
The Bauchi experience may also be a reminder about the need to re-examine the role of deputy governors in the 1999 Constitution. If a creative way could be found to give them a greater role in governance, it could end this view of deputy governors as mere “spare tyres.”