BLAME NOT DANIYA, HE IS JUST A PENCIL IN THE HANDS OF HIS NEWLY FOUND LEADERS
By Otukoko Olayinka
When I see people who almost refer to you as their “god” because of the preferential favour they need from you, turning around to become the worst of your enemies, I ask myself how easy they go to bed at night and get to sleep without a worried conscience.
Like I have always said, the suspended State Youth Leader of the PDP, Haliru Dantsoho Mahmud, also known as Daniya, isn’t an issue, he is just a party member who is facing disciplinary actions because of his loose culture, personal carriage, and low-level measure of integrity. The amusing thing is the “behind the scenes” fingers who are writing Daniya’s scripts and designing a wrong political destiny for him. This is just a hint that we are very aware of these antics, tactics, and political miscalculations from the major beneficiaries of the same system they plan to crumble. We saw all these moves years ago and I must give you the bad news that we have moved past your recent scripts, we have moved on without you and we are filling up the unfortunate leadership lacuna you planned to create in a way to bring the walls down.
Daniya shouldn’t be blamed for any of his attempts to dance naked in the market square, the blame should go to the supposed leaders who are expected to give him words of caution but remain the ones beating the drums of war for Dainya to dance. Lessons are always learnt from issues that concern human nature. I think the Peoples Democratic Party would have learnt a hard way that a 56 years old man doesn’t belong to the circle of youths, let alone represent such an important constituency in the party-state executives.
Beyond Daniya, when I read an article written by Comrade Olusola Olusegun Adewara, the PDP State PRO titled “Who is afraid of the changes in Kwara PDP” and where two groups were been identified and discussed, I wanted to seek his permission to allow me to add a third group to the list. To me, the third and most dangerous of all groups is the one that has had in its resolutions not to fight PDP or APC but to expend the last joule of its energy and resources on “anything against Saraki” simply because they perceive him as the only obstacle in their political growth and must be removed. This wouldn’t have called for any concern, If it is coming from people you have marked as enemies but coming from people you call your own and associates with good intentions, it is the worst of all the groups.
God gives power to whom he pleases and history will continue to be kind to Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki for all he has done for Kwara and Kwarans.
In his attempt to project a Kwara that works for all and with all, Dr. Saraki scouted for Kwarans from all works of life and all types of backgrounds without minding their political histories and participations. He had a vision of a prosperous Kwara and assembled brains, even from technocratic circles to get the dream of his better Kwara achieved. Unfortunately, in his quest for the best hands, in his pure mind, he didn’t realise on time that there was a clear distinction between competence and integrity. Till today, his singular decision and action of involving this class in the state leadership structure remains a major sin he committed against the older political allies of his father who were committed lieutenants of Baba Oloye before the coming of the son, Dr. Saraki, in 2003.
2019 elections were lost not because Dr. Saraki didn’t perform as governor or as Senator, it was lost because we lost grips of the grassroots for close to eight years of rule, a reflection of total disconnections from the People by the “leaders” of this same class who were supposed to hold the center having featured in different leadership positions in the state and national levels for close to sixteen years.
If there are one hundred missiles thrown at Saraki today from any political party in Nigeria, eighty percent of it has involvement, and a touch of this group who were already Senior Special Assistants, Commissioners, and DG of parastatals when they were at the age younger than Comrade Olusegun Olusola (Sholynment).
If I have learnt one thousand and one things from my association with Dr. Saraki, one of the greatest of all lessons I have learnt is the dynamism of human nature and how well Dr. Saraki has always maintained his calmness despite his awareness of the extent of evil plots, betrayals, sabotage, and disrespect from the same people he gave his all to honour and protect.
Otukoko Olayinka Ibrahim writes from Adewole Ward, Ilorin-West LGA of Kwara State.
