By Safullahi Ahmad Gaya
As people believe, there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance. If asked, most people would admit that they would prefer to be called confident, rather than arrogant.
An arrogant person may end up limiting his opportunities in life, as people wouldn’t want to be associated with an arrogant person.
A self-professed thought leader and the author of “The Light In The Heart”, Roy T. Bennett said “Do not let arrogance go to your head and despair to your heart; do not let compliments go to your head and criticisms to your heart; do not let success go to your head and failure to your heart.”
In every election there is a loser and a winner, but in Nigerian context of election a loser does not easily accept either people or distinguished delegates’ verdicts without given an flimsy excuse leading to his loss.
Former New Media aide to President Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, contested the seat to represent Gaya/Ajingi/Albasu/ Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives against the serving member who defeated him with 109 to 16 votes.
The delegates affirmed they preferable aspirant who is the incumbent member representing the constituency, but in a truest nature of Nigeria’s politicians Bashir shouldn’t conceive the defeat Spreading different lying. I can categorically said to the best of my knowledge that the Primary election for the said Constituency was free and fair and was conducted in a very peaceful atmosphere, devoid of any security breach.
In the build-up to the primary election, Kano state APC held Kano South Senatorial district stakeholders meeting at Coronation Hall, Government House, , Kano, in its efforts to smoothen the exercise.
The serving members and aspirants of different electives positions attended the meeting.
I can recall at the meeting he had spoken arrogantly for more than 10 minutes without recourse of decency and respect to the party stakeholders, and categorically shown that his candidacy was supported from the Villa.
Unfortunately, Bashir Ahmad allowed his arrogance go to his head before Governor Ganduje and other APC stakeholders as he thought the election is winnable on the pages of social media platforms. I am amazed with his desperation at same time pity him for falling into traps of the sweet mouth of so called political heavyweigh in the constituency The best way to describe him is a popular phase used in the university “Jonny Just Come (JJC)”. He is really a jonny in the murky water of politics.
His desperation for the seat made him blind from seeing the truth, by opting for verious dubious trick to manipulate the facts after losing the election.
His interview on a radio station in Kano, Freedom Radio, some paragraphs on his social media pages clearly show his ignorance of the Nigerian Electoral Act 2022.
Electoral Act, 2022, recognizes three modes of conducting primary elections towards choosing candidates of political parties, namely; direct, indirect and consensus modes of primary election. Your party Nomination of candidates conducted through indirect primaries in which delegates are meant to vote.
In the case of nominations to the position of a Senatorial candidate, a Member of the House of Representatives and a Member of a State House of Assembly, the political party shall, where it intends to sponsor candidates, (i) hold special congresses in the Senatorial District, Federal Constituency and the State Assembly Constituency respectively, with delegates voting for aspirants of their choice in designated centres on specified dates, and (ii) the aspirant with the highest number of votes cast at the end of voting shall be declared the winner of the primaries of the party and the aspirant’s name shall be forwarded to the Commission as the candidate of the party. The act clearly stated that in the Section 84 of the Nigerian Electoral Act 2022, among others, are under Part V of the Act. Part V is titled POLITICAL PARTIES.
How on earth a defeated aspirant can come to terms with that if he had wished that Gaya/Ajingi/Albasu/ Federal Constituency primary election would be conducted in Abuja.
Had the act allowed such special preferable treatment I am sure President’s nephew would not lost his bid to get a re-election ticket for Daura/Sandamu/Maiadua Federal Constituency.
Another issued Mr. Bashir raised in rejection of the primary election exercise For Albasu/Gaya/Ajingi Federal Constituency is that he had been denied access to the voting area.
Contrary to his claimed that political thugs denied him and his peoples access to the venue, this narration is nothing but losing hangover. I had seen no thugs either within the venue or around, as the Nigeria police provided maximum security and I sat by his left at the Gaya Local Government Islamic Centre.
It is good to understand that elections are not won on social media platforms. Was he not the one who raised issue before returning officer of the election that delegates lists is not the same lists issued to him from Abuja’s.
Let me remind him that section 121(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 forbids the buying and selling of votes. Was he not the same person that connived with so called political heavyweights from Albasu and Ajingi local government areas where he was alleged have given money running in millions to them with promises they will deliver him delegates from the areas.
Most amazed and childish utterance made by him during the interview with Freedom Radio has portrayed him as a position monger, fearing life after office. There is a need for him to stop spreading lies and accept defeat, and burying his head in the sand.
Safullahi writes in from the Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State.
