By Bilal Shehu
Finally, the chickens have come home to roost. Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero, former two-term governor of Kebbi State is reaping the results of what he sowed so far in his political career. In fact, the harvest is manifesting in manifolds.His tenure as Governor between 1999 and 2007 was characterised by high-handedness and total negation of democracy. In eight years, he sacked three party chairmen – Alhaji Malami Abdul-Kadir was removed as chairman of the ANPP and replaced by Alhaji Labaran Maikano who was soon after removed in favour of Alhaji Abdullahi Lamba.In the course of his tenure as Governor, Minister and now Senator, Aliero has humiliated and fallen-out with virtually all the respected leaders of Kebbi State. The list includes Alhaji Abubakar Mallam, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Tafida Kabi, Alhaji Samaila Sambawa, Hon. Buhari Bala, General Sarkin Yaki Bello, Barrister Kabiru Tanimu Turaki and Prof. Idris Kaoje. Others are General Ishaya Bamaiyi, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Barrister Abubakar Malami, former Governor Saidu Nasamu Dakingari and incumbent Governor Atiku Bagudu.Worse still, his woeful work as governor convinced him that he needed to become an obstacle to his successor in office – Alhaji Sa’idu Nasamu Dakingari. He struggled tooth-and-nail to distract the administration and even vowed in vain to prevent its re-election.When the incumbent Atiku Bagudu administration came on board, Aliero connived with cronies and collected a whopping N14 billion worth of contracts using various companies. To date, none of the projects was completed not to talk of commissioned.Today, Senator Aliero’s self-centred style of politics has left Kebbi State helpless and hopeless. For instance, more than two years after the abduction of some students of the Federal Government College Yauri, Aliero has demonstrated minimum concern over the pathetic plight of the citizens. Instead, he is exploiting his membership of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs to corner juicy contracts worth billions of Naira from the Federal Government.Since leaving office, Aliero’s proxies, political partners and children have been floating all manner of companies collecting contracts not only from the Federal Government but also the governments of Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto States. None of the works were concluded and many were even cancelled. His prominent cohorts in these ventures include Alhaji Abba Aliero and Alhaji Kabiru Kamba.Their activities are complemented by Aliero’s political thugs especially Alhaji Sani Dododo and Alhaji Bunu Jega. These individuals who started out as critics and traducers of the former Governor are now full-time attack-dogs used in blackmailing power-brokers and bringing down those who refuse to play his bidding.So, Aliero’s dubious democratic career seems to be coming to a disgraceful end. Since its inception, he has been switching from one party to the other. For example, he re-decamped to PDP 2007 after spending about a year in CPC in early 2012. He later moved from PDP to APC in 2014 to PDP 2022. He and his some of his close associates since 1999, like Sani Zauro, who was also former State Chairman of defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Board of Trustees (BoT) in Kebbi State also quit PDP for APC.It is not surprising that Aliero and his allies should suddenly become persona non-grata among the parties and electorate. After all, it is said that the tree of lies only produces leaves. It does not bear fruits.
Shehu writes from Maiyama Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
