Al-Makura’s Unusual Reward for Loyalty

                                         POLITICAL NOTES

As the dust created by some of the events that led to yesterday’s national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) struggle to settle, many people have been left with permanent emotional damage, because of how the party leadership handled the competing interests with reckless abandon. 

But one man whose disappointment comes with an eternally painful scar, is a former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Tanko Al-Makura. From many of the loyalists of the president to other stakeholders of the party, no one has been able to rationalise, let alone defend the factors that informed the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari, to ditch Al-Makura. 

First off, understand this. Aside the mythical 15 million votes, which had always been attributed to Buhari’s electoral value, even though those humongous votes had failed to elect him at three different epochs, Al-Makura was the only equity, being the only Congress for Progressive Change state, that Buhari took with him to the negotiating table, and ultimately entitled the CPC partners to a stake in the APC merger. 

In other words, had there not been an Al-Makura, Buhari would not have been able to boast of any entitlement at all, let alone the degree he arrogantly lays claim to today. Yet, he didn’t deem it fit to consider Al-Makura for the office of the chairman of the party, even when he knew that the man desired to be in that office.

Interestingly, not only did Al-Makura set out early to indicate interest in the party chairmanship, every major APC member with a stake and sense of history, had also been working for the realisation of his aspiration, thinking he had not only the competence and capacity, but a moral right to aspire to the office.

But, suddenly, without any explanation or apology, Buhari woke up one day and chose a man from the same state and predecessor to Al-Makura; a man, who migrated from the opposition PDP and one of those, who created problems for Al-Makura as CPC governor, as his choice for party chairman. What a precious reward for loyalty! An unusual reward for staying the cause and standing strong for the Buhari brand and ideals. Al-Makura will never forget this day and deservedly so. Perhaps, this is just the Buhari they all never really knew.