By Abdul Mohammed Lawal.
A major challenge for executive office holders in Nigeria, including Presidents and Governors, is the need to exercise control in publicly addressing internal sabotage or obstruction of their policies by trusted individuals.
While business magnates like Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, can freely express concerns that threaten their investments, political leaders must maintain an image of strength and stability. Publicly airing grievances could be perceived as a sign of weakness or loss of control.
The complex network of political alliances and party loyalty complicates this issue further, as public disputes can disrupt fragile alliances and create factions within their support base. Leaders often maintain strategic silence to resolve issues discreetly, thereby preventing the escalation of conflicts and allowing them to focus on effective governance.
For a public office holder, especially an Executive Governor in Nigeria, having a wide network across the Nigerian political class and fostering the growth of other loyal regional leaders is crucial. This network allows them to exert influence beyond their state and impact national policies and decisions that benefit both their state and their administration. A quality network that shows value facilitates smoother negotiations and collaborations on various projects and initiatives, which is required for effective leadership. This was a card that was played beautifully well by His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as Executive Governor of Kogi State and a national asset of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari’s APC-led administration, Bello severally played that vital role of brokering agreements that many states and their governors benefited from. Even in trying times, when some of the most popular politicians of the APC family faced personal problems that their own allies could not address, Bello put himself on the line to support these individuals without hesitation.
It is surprising to see that some individuals who now express open resentment towards him were, at times, heavily dependent on his support. One such individual faced a dire situation when his state political structure turned against him, leaving him captive and fighting for his life in an underground cell. Even his closest allies were too fearful to intervene. Another was a governor seeking reelection who found himself embroiled in a nationwide scandal of his own making, and his magic wand in APC was Bello. Additionally, there was a sitting governor whose internal political challenges were out to end him in northern power plays and required Bello’s strategic acumen to pull through his crisis.
Despite these situations, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello managed to assist these individuals and others time and again, but it’s safe to say he was not always reciprocated.
By nurturing upcoming leaders in Kogi State since 2016, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello ensured that there were competent and loyal individuals ready to take up leadership roles, ensuring the sustainability of their vision and initiatives. This approach also guaranteed that state policies were aligned with federal strategies and facilitated smoother implementation that built public trust and confidence in the APC-led administration across the board. This ability to maintain a solid and responsive network was a hallmark of Yahaya Bello’s tenure and ensured that Kogi State remained stable and progressive even during challenging times. His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is a testament to this.
However, as the “New Direction” administration drew to a close and elections approached, political calculations changed. Interests and internal party dynamics influenced individuals to employ betrayal tactics against a system that had worked for two terms. These supposed loyalists within the governor’s network had their own political ambitions that conflicted with the interest of the APC-led government. In a politically divided landscape, they saw this as an opportunity to advance politically by aligning with conflicting interests, thereby undermining the APC’s ‘Continuity and Consolidation’ vision. Their actions revealed that even long-standing relationships, built over eight years, could be fragile and prone to collapse when personal interests diverged.
Some even perceived His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to have grown politically weak or unlikely to succeed. They believed they had outgrown the influence of their political foundation, forgetting that someone held it together. These overambitious former loyalists switched allegiances to protect their own positions, thinking they were safeguarding their futures. In playing their personal cards, some even claimed pressure from regional interest groups forced them to switch allegiances openly or throw heavy jabs from their “flowing agbada” from the sidelines.
In politics, allegiances can shift quickly, especially if individuals perceive that their association with former allies is no longer advantageous. Individuals may realign themselves with candidates or parties they believe have a better chance of winning. But it is always painful when those whom you have trusted, supported, and defended the most tend to play the victim cards and paint you as the villain.
Many questions linger in the aftermath of their actions, painting a picture of a leader who, despite his best efforts, found himself betrayed by those he trusted the most:
“Did these individuals play their cards well in helping His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello build the beautiful Kogi State of all dreams, or did they pursue their individual agendas? Were they honest with him at all times, repaying the trust he placed in them by building them into enviable heights as emerging leaders of northern Nigeria, or did they deceive him? Did they manage the internal democracies of their regions well enough to show unity, or did they play a division card that deepened existing fractures? Were they true to their beliefs, or were they always set on playing the victim cards?”
His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello’s journey tells of the harsh realities of Nigerian politics, where loyalty is often short-lived and support is rarely mutual. His efforts to assist others highlight his personal integrity, yet they do not guarantee reciprocation. The pressing question remains: Has he endured more than his fair share of the harsh realities of Nigerian politics, and could he have approached these challenges differently?
Thank you His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for what you have achieved with Kogi State and the beautiful story that you have written about how Kogites politick.
Thank you for the gift of His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo. Kogi State can only get better from here.