Revelation: How Zamfara political problems started – Interview (a)

…Says, Abdullaziz Yari “best for Nigeria after Tinubu.’…Alleges “Zamfara problems started when Mamuda Shinkafi took over from Yerima Bakura.”

by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna

Back then in 1999, it was Yerima Bakura, the former Executive Governor of Zamfara State and, perhaps, the first governor to have given his deputy, Mamuda Shinkafi, the opportunity to become Governor after his two tenures in office.

Yerima Bakura, after JB Yakubu, contested with a strongest backing and support, based from Marafan Sokoto, the former Nigeria Presidential candidate, late Alh. Umaru Shinkafi, tagged, ‘Choice 1992.’

At that time, Yerima Bakura, who contested against Bala Mande, from Zurmi area of Zamfara State, was the one most of the current Zamfara top-shop politicians emerged as trainees as well as their political godfather.

In this extensive interview with sons of the soil, including former LGA Council Secretary, Murtala Shinkafi, it was allegedly revealed that, the problems of Zamfara State started when Mamuda Shinkafi took over from Yerima as Governor.

“And that was the beginning of the problems in Zamfara State. What do I mean – that, that was when we started having two houses in Zamfara and two political camps,” he restated. 

According to him, the problem started when Yerima’s political boys and elites believed that Mamuda Shinkafi was not doing the right things. And the cabals, who caged Mamuda, instead of mending the fences, started instigating serious fights against Yerima. 

“I think there were so many warnings to Mamuda not to fight Yerima, because I think Yerima was the first to finish as Governor and handover to his deputy as Governor. But, the bad people caged him and made him not to do the right things as Governor. Mamuda can give contract to someone and later turn it to something that he felt like doing,” Murtala stated.

“So, about one to two years of Mamuda in office as Governor, the fight manifested seriously; he started changing party and defected to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from the then ANPP, that Zamfara State was known for.

“And that was when Abdulllaziz, the former Zamfara Governor, too, began to have a good chance in ANPP. That time, Abdullaziz Yari was in House of Reps under ANPP, and became the flag-bearer of the party when Mamuda decamped to PDP. Remember that, Abdullaziz was married to Mamuda Shinkafi’s daughter; so, Mamuda was his in-law.

“Mamuda was, therefore, contesting under PDP for the second tenure, and Abdullaziz later defeated him in 2011, and became a Governor of Zamfara State. Surprisingly, the same issue that happened between Mamuda and Yerima repeated itself, as another cabal came up and caged Abdullaziz.

“Remember that, no any big shot politician was following Abdullaziz apart from Yerima Bakura. And remember that Abdullaziz was their party secretary and later chairman in Zamfara State and, therefore, knows the party politics and those that matters in the 14 local governments of the state. 

“Under Yerima administrations, contracts came through Abdullaziz to anyone he want to help. Later on, Abdullaziz boys started doing what Mamuda boys did to Yerima, in which to me, is not fair. In politics, there is what we called, ‘Amanna’ period for someone that puts you on the ladder. 

“Abdullaziz was a nice person and man of his words. He only has this delaying attitude. If he wants to do something, it takes him a long while before making his decision. So, you need to be patient with Abdullaziz, otherwise you people will have problem. He can keep you waiting for hours before attending to you, even if he is the one that called you for that thing,” Murtala added.

“Everybody with his life style,” he said, adding that “When Abdullaziz became the governor, the poor sacrificed their lives for him, because that election of 2011 was very serious like war.

“Also note that, Governor Mamuda and his commissioner of justice were hard and brutal to those, who wanted to follow Abdullaziz, as some of them were arrested and then taken to prison or detention, and all kinds of embarrassment, before Abdullaziz won. So, it’s bad to be arresting people over power. You make them more popular when it comes to election. 

“So, the ANPP’s Abdullaziz defeated Mamuda. Later on, an issue came up between Abdullaziz and Yerima when the former almost finished his last tenure over successor, which if I were the one, it won’t be a problem to me.

“When Abdullaziz was the Governor, Yerima became a Senator for 8 years. When Abdullaziz finished his 8 years as Governor, Yerima decided to drop from Senate because they came from the same political zone. I don’t know what was really in his mind then. Perhaps, they have that understanding within themselves.

“Problems started when the person Abdullaziz brought as his candidate and successor did not go down well with the people of Zamfara. He brought his former commissioner of finance, and that was where the problem started. He has no single human public relations with the people.

“For most Zamfara people, the Abdullaziz candidate was a wrong one. He was arrogant to the people because he had money and believed in himself alone. When Abdullaziz defeated Mamuda, in 2015, for his second tenure, the mistake of Mamuda was to again leave PDP and return back to ANPP/APC, after he was defeated twice by Abdullaziz.

“Again, Mamuda was given Senate ticket for 2015, when Mamuda supposed to come back to APC, in 2015, when he was given Senate ticket of his zone to allow Abdullaziz finish second tenure in 2019 as Governor, based on negotiation, but he refused and contested in 2015 in PDP. Because, at that time there was this negotiation, but he rejected and contested Governor under PDP, and lost.

“Last one was his leaving PDP for APC, in 2019, which was one of the reasons he lost in 2019 and could not complete his second tenure till now. This is because in 2019 people had ganged-up against Abdullaziz candidate in APC. That was when Zamfara people – the elites, called G8 – with all of them were looking for Governorship. For example, Mamud Shinkafi, Dauda Lawal (the current Governor) was among them, Senator Kabiru Marafa, Minister of Defense, Aminu Jaji and former Permsec Fed. Ministry of Works was among. That was when they had Parallel Congresses:

“Senator Kabiru Marafa did his own congress and Abdullaziz did his own, all under APC, when same party divided into two. Abdullaziz did his own primary elections. That was when Adams Oshiomole was the party’s national chairman. They shouldn’t have allowed parallel congresses and primaries. So, when there was no legitimate primaries, you don’t have a candidate,” he lamented.

Murtala continued that, “So, they refused to reconcile their problems prior to the general election. I was telling Mamuda in particular to come to PDP, that with him there, Matawalle will never have his way, because this infighting will make another party to take the Governorship candidate.

“They were all there. Matawalle, as you know, had nothing and had no followers that time, not even vote buying. If one prominent person was there in PDP, Matawalle couldn’t have gotten it. So, when Abdullaziz (commissioner of finance) was declared winner of the election under APC, in 2019, the same candidates went to court and started demanding for their mandate. 

“They went to court and collected it, on grounds that there were no proper primary elections. That was how Matawalle emerged from nowhere as Governor – as an accidental Governor.

“And, in 2023, I saw a similarity and scenario of the same situation repeated itself in APC, because all of them refused to believe that as candidate you have something to sell to people in your community or entire state as a whole, so why shall I stay on someone’s sympathy.

(To be continued)