Labaran Maku and the odds before him in 2019

BY LOUIS AZIGE

As 2019 edges closer, politicians nursing the ambition of aspiring for various political positions have been making consultations, calling for meetings and attending key events to show their presence and support, and above all, taking decisions that will ultimately endear them to the people.

Among those lining up to take over Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura’s job in Nasarawa State is Honourable Labaran Maku. Hon. Maku who has been a unionist, journalist, Commissioner, Deputy Governor, Minister and presently too, Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is no doubt, experienced and ambitious to lead the people of Nasarawa State to a greater height.

The political sagacity and wherewithal of Hon. Maku is no longer in doubt, especially with the result of the last gubernatorial election in the state and how he wrecked the hope of PDP from reclaiming the state. Hon. Maku came second in the election with 178,983 votes; trailing behind Governor Al-Makura who pulled 309,746, and above Alhaji Yusuf Agabi who garnered 119,782 votes.

Hon. Maku’s name was only submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shortly before the December 26, 2015, deadline as the candidate of APGA, an unpopular political party in the state.

As 2019 draws closer, Labaran Maku has the connection, oratory, knowledge and capacity to stand tall among many aspirants from Nasarawa North, the zone that is yet to produce a governor in the state.

The fact that he is a Christian and from the zone that has never produced a governor in the state gives him a very good chance to take over Governor Al-Makura’s job but this will not come easy as there are so many challenges he must overcome to be at the Government House, Lafia, come 2019.

Hon. Maku comes from the same zone with many ambitious Christians who have for long had their eyes on the number one position in the state and have demonstrated their resolve and unwillingness to aggregate their interest together for a single individual to take the lead while they follow. They have always crowded themselves in the battlefield for just one ticket and consequently, lose it all. Come 2019, the story is likely to be the same.
Equally standing on Maku’s way is the seeming alliance between power blocks in Nasarawa West and Nasarawa South to rotate the gubernatorial position in the state among themselves.

Nasarawa West produced the first civilian governor of the state (Alh. Abdullahi Adamu) who reigned for eight (8) years before handing over to Nasarawa South that produced two (2) separate individuals (Alh. Aliyu Akwe Doma and Alh. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura), governing for about ten (10) years now.

The recent defection of Former House of Representatives Member, who represented Kokona/Keffi/Karu Federal Constituency of the State between 2003 and 2011, Hon. Aliyu Ahmed Wadada from PDP to APC speaks volume.
The fact that Hon. Wadada was received at the Government House Lafia by Governor Al-Makura in a brief but well publicized ceremony on December 21, 2016, gives credence to the rumoured alliance between powerful forces in Nasarawa South and Nasarawa West to rotate the gubernatorial seat between the two zones.

During the ceremony, Governor Al-Makura described Hon. Wadada as ‘a wonderful addition to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a politician equal to the task of running for any office he chooses’. Hon. Wadada on his part refused to disclose what position he would run for in 2019.

The Ombatse crisis between Hon. Maku’s tribesmen and other tribes such as Alago, Gwandara, Migili, etc that engulfed the state between 2012 and 2014 is another challenge that Hon. Maku must face in the cause of prosecuting his ambition come 2019. Even though the Commission of Inquiry that looked into the crisis did not indict Hon. Maku, the fact that his tribesmen were involved leaves “something” hanging on his neck. This is because in this part of the world, he is not coming to power alone but with his tribe, religion and region.

The crisis may have been over but the scars it left on the minds and lands of some people still remains. Though time has passed and long enough to forgive and forget but the animosity it generated is evident in places where the various groups that once co-habited peacefully can no longer interact, share and freely commune with one another.

It is widely spread and believed in some quarters that Hon. Maku played the religious card to have earned the votes he garnered in 2015, raising the consciousness of his fellow faithful to the fact that only the adherents of one religion in the state have been appointed or voted to govern the state; hence the need to support one of their own.

This thought must be nullified with a movement that will embrace all ethnic and religious groups in the state.
Another challenge to Hon. Maku’s ambition is the feeling of distrust between Eggon and other ethnic groups within Nasarawa North, especially, the Mada people. This suspicion is borne out of a perception the people have developed towards each other over the years.

The Mada people see the Eggon people to be domineering and do not hold them in high regards. For Hon. Maku to succeed, this feeling among the Mada people and other groups must be changed. All other groups must be convinced to trust the Eggon with a guaranteed political welfare.

Hon. Labaran Maku cannot realize his dream of becoming governor without the support of the three zones that make up the state as well as that of the majority of adherents of the two dominant religions in the state. He must not see one zone to be for him and the other(s) against him. He must be courageous enough to break forth, move into lands where he feels uncomfortable and unwelcomed, and reach out to individuals and groups with grassroots support.