I am not here to cause any disaffection between my people, but am here to tell the world the injustice that a section of my state has been subjected to. For some unknown reasons, it has become a common norm that there are those that believe they are divinely ordained to rule Kaduna my beloved state if peace is to rein. How it began is what I can’t say, but what it has become is what am about to tell concerned Nigerians. I may sound like an ethnic bigot if that is what it will take to speak the truth, but let those that think so be honest to themselves. Let them remind me how well my people have been treated in the last 15 years.
Kaduna state being one of the oldest state, yet remains the most separatist of all the states in Nigeria. I, being a Muslim from the southern part of Kaduna will try as much as possible to avoid the religious angle of this oppression and dwell more on our geographical positions of the state. But deep inside us, we know that religion has played a significant part in this oppression. One may wrongly assume that we may not be as populated as the North therefore do not have the capacity to vote in our sons, but I will assure you that the notion is far from the truth, because if we have to go by population of the southerners in addition to the population of the Christians in the entire state, then the game of numbers will not come to play in that notion. It is a known fact that those in Kaduna south and the Christians of the entire state usually vote as a block. So I wonder how we got confined to the denomination of the oppressed.
Let me start by expressing the composition of the entire state. Kaduna is made up of Zaria, Sabongari, Kudan, Ikara, Soba, Markafi and Lere all in the Northern Kaduna Senatorial District also called Zone 1, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Giwa, Igabi, Chikun, Kajuru and Birningwari all in the Central Kaduna Senatorial District also known as Zone 2, then Kachia, Jaba, Kagorko, Jema’a, Kaura, Kauru, Sanga and Zangon-kataf Local governments in Southern Kaduna Senatorial District also known as Zone 3. The composition of the zones shows that in the central zone even when assumed to be of the north, has as much population of the southerners, Christians and other Nigerians from the southern states as much as in southern Kaduna, so where and how will the game of numbers give more credence to the north than the south?
Looking into the past, outside of the military rule where it was clear that Governors were appointed by the Military Heads of states, in the third republic we had Governor Dabo Lere from Lere Local government from the northern zone, as if that was not enough, in 1999, we all voted massively for Ahmed Mohammed Markafi from Markafi Local government also in the Northern Zone. Markafi had received our blocked votes because he had promised us in the south that he would transmit power to a southerner come 2007. In all these, please note that it is with the southern Kaduna votes that the PDP has always retained power in Kaduna state as most of the northern Kaduna votes have been known to go to the opposition which has always been candidates with strong religious sentiments, and the APP, ANPP, CPC now APC has what it takes to fit into the classification. Would that not give us a clue onto who is majority since PDP has always retained power? In 2007, Governor Ahmed Mohammed Markafi relegated on his promise and suddenly brought his brother Architect Namadi Sambo from the north in less than 3 weeks to the primaries and forced him again on us. The Architect, an indigene of Zaria from the Northern Zone was imposed on us, and we accepted. We accepted because we did not have a choice and could not allow our state to be taken over by the extremist party then, the CPC. We did that because of our dignity, our loyalty and our believe in the PDP. Governor Markafi had not fared badly to an extent, the people of southern and Central Kaduna benefited fairly from his government. He remains one of the best thing that happened to us in Kaduna. Governor Namadi Sambo in his usual way was not very politically influential as he was operating under the influence of the former governor until providence came his way by his appointment as Vice President of our great country, the Federal republic of Nigeria. For the first time in our time, a southern Kaduna indigene, the son of our soil was sworn in as governor, the late Governor Ibrahim Patrick Yakowa from Jema’a Local government.
His works were great, visible and outstanding. The New Kaduna today is his efforts. The development seen in his time cannot be compared to what Kaduna had ever had in his two years as Governor, yet he was not allowed to rule in peace. Just like the bombing and insecurity artificially orchestrated on Nigerians because President Goodluck, a man from the southern part of Nigeria took over the affairs of Nigeria, Kaduna State had no peace as there was one bomb after the other by the same set of terrorist called Boko Haram. Kaduna saw no peace. It was as if insurgency would never depart from our dear state. Fingers were pointed, accusations and counter accusations were made, yet the bombing won’t stop. Just like President Goodluck Jonathan, the transformation of Kaduna continued. But then, life in its unfairness took the life of our dear Governor and son in December 15 2012 and suddenly, the bombing of our dear state came to a halt, and then the indigenes of northern Kaduna celebrated in the streets. Till this date, not a single bomb has been detonated even by error. Like an adage of the southeastern Nigerians; ” When the witch cries at night and the baby dies in the morning, use your tongue to count your teeth,” Our acceptance of the ills of our people does not make us fools.
The man Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa and my dear state had no peace till he died. They celebrated because they had bombed power back into the hands of their son Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, an indigene of Zaria Local government of the northern Zone. The present Governor who was then a deputy governor who was singled handedly picked by Architect Namadi Sambo. A governor that has no Councilor of his party in his ward, no House of Assembly member of his party in his state constituency, no Federal Representative in both the House of representative and the Senate from his federal constituency and senatorial district respectively in the PDP. A man that lost woefully in all the bye-elections that has taken place recently. Yet this is the man that has been sustained by the PDP of the Central and Southern Kaduna PDP. Where is the justice? What an injustice on our people?
Walking the streets of Kaduna, the sitting governor has no goodwill. The people of southern Kaduna has not been badly treated in the history of Kaduna like they have in this ill-gotten administration. Not even his brothers has had it fairly under the most insulting, corrupt and insensitive government of Mukhtar Yero. Yet his God-father, the Vice President is insisting that this politically irrelevant brother of his be presented as the PDP’s choice to extend the woes of Kaduna State. All they are interested is retaining power in the north of my state even at the detriment of the party. Are these people interested in retaining power in the party or in their region? This is one of the many questions begging to be answered. Because if the party was important to them, why would they want to mortgage the party for regional sentiments?
It is no longer news that presenting Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero as a governorship flag bearer of the PDP is tantamount to giving the APC a smooth sail in the state. Is the party aware of the population of Kaduna state? Is the PDP aware that it has lost all the populous states of the federation to the APC? Kano, Lagos and Rivers state, has all been taken over by the APC because of this politics of insensitivity, Kaduna being the most populous PDP state is about to be mortgage as an easy sale to the APC because of the tribal sentiments that has beclouded my state. A governor that does not have control of his local ward is tantamount to a figure head in the welding of power across the state. Or has the adage that says that “Charity begins at home” changed?
Why must the people of southern Kaduna be subjected to this level of intimidation when it is clear that the survival of the PDP lies in the hands of my people? Southern Kaduna has presented three (3) great men that have all shown how politically relevant they are in their different constituency. What would it take to say it is time for us to be elected to power since it only takes their blessing? What would it take to say “Let us put regionalism aside and save the common interest of the party? What does it take to say it is time for my people to ripe from their loyalty and consistency? Must we remain those that are to be led and not lead? With all these, I think the call for the emancipation of my people is not out of place. Our unity alone is enough to give us a statutory place in the leadership of this great State in our great Party. It is time to get it right, it is time to speak with one voice, it is time to say, with our number, we can do it. it is time for concerned Nigerians in the North, South, East and West to come to our rescue.
Because we do not wish to be confined to the back seat as passengers when we continue to fuel the party in the state. We therefore present our sons; Senator Haruna Zego Aziz from Jaba Local government, Rtd. Air Commodore John Ajeye from Zangon-Kataf Local government and Hon Hassan Hyat from Kachia Local government all in the southern Kaduna Senatorial District also known as Zone 3 to you as our choices. We shall vote in any of our sons if presented in unity as we are known or we shall all remain at home with our voter’s cards for the born to rule to do what they know how to do best. For those that think that my call is bigoted, I will agree with them if that will make them happy. But then, I must have spoken the truth we all already know.
Hassan Ramalan Ibrahim is a Political observer, writes from Abuja.
