Can Babangida Aliyu Ever Keep Quiet?

POLITICAL NOTES

Can someone please ask former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu to keep quiet? In the last few weeks, he has been making reckless political pronouncements unbecoming of a former governor, who had also attained the highest level in the federal civil service.

First, he painted all the then governors of the 19 northern states, including those of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as dishonourable men, who conspired to deny former President Goodluck Jonathan a second term in 2015.

Babangida Aliyu, had in a statement, said few months to the 2015 Presidential election, the PDP governors joined the other northern governors at a meeting in Abuja, and unanimously resolved not to allow Jonathan win the election. Aliyu, who was the Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum then, said the 19 northern governors concurred that Jonathan had violated the terms of an agreement he reached with the party and the northern governors not to run for second term in 2015

But in a swift response, a former governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang, dismissed as untrue the statement credited to Aliyu that the then 19 northern states’ governors had met, deliberated, and decided not to support the re-election of Jonathan.

Former Jigawa State Governor, Mallam Sule Lamido, had also denied knowledge of such a meeting where a decision was taken against Jonathan’s re-election.

Aliyu had also recently poked his nose into the politics of the All Progressives Congress (APC) when he declared that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the best candidate in the ruling party for the 2023 presidential election.

“Mr Vice President, do you know you are the best candidate in your party?” he reportedly asked.

Aliyu was also reportedly quoted very recently as saying that some northerners made it impossible for Jonathan to defeat Boko Haram.

When will the former Niger State governor stop opening his mouth very wide?

Little wonder Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, recently lambasted him, saying he is not just jobless, but a political liability.

Wike said of him: “Aliyu Babangida has no job to do. He is a political liability. Why is that he could not even organise party congress in Niger State. It is because of his dictatorial tendencies. Aliyu Babangida is a chronic liar, a serial betrayal. He said in 2015, Northern governors worked against former president Goodluck Jonathan. In 2017. He has no job”.