By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor & Abdallah el-Kurebe

Governor Wamakko of Sokoto State and the mainstream of the PDP in Sokoto are challenging the suspension of the governor from the party raising issues about the authority of the party leadership.

It is perhaps the harshest rebuke to a party leadership desperately trying to assert itself on its members. Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State who was last week suspended from the PDP has called the bluff of the party leadership putting the pressure back on the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who he said should be dismissed.

The governor gave his reasons for the removal of the party chairman as: “He is incompetent; he is running the party from his private house; up till now Bamanga did not see wisdom in going round the states in this country to say, ‘THANK YOU’ to those who voted him; up till now Bamanga did not visit any state in the federation to find out the true position of the party and proffer some guidance where need be; Bamanga is running the PDP as his personal and private business.”

Gov Wamakko

Wamakko spoke on his return to Sokoto on Wednesday night after an eventful trip to Netherlands during which time he was suspended from the party for alleged acts of indiscipline including failure to return or pick calls from Tukur.

Absence at the reception
But stressing the confidence with which he spoke were the dramatic events at the Sokoto airport earlier that day when thousands of his supporters thronged the airport forcing his plane not to land and causing the plane to find shelter at the Kaduna airport.

Wamakko who earlier arrived Abuja on Tuesday had in his entourage back home that Wednesday all three senators from the state and nine of the 11 members of the Sokoto State delegation to the House of Representatives including Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

Perhaps the only other notable politician on his side who was absent at the reception was the minister of youth affairs, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir who understandably would be thrown between the devil and the deep blue sea in the unfolding crisis between Abuja and Wamakko.

But when they made the first attempt to land following the successful deplaning of the advance team in an aircraft that arrived earlier, the crowd surged on to the runway forcing the plane to go back and find ground in Kaduna.

After the crowd dispersed the governor returned to Sokoto later Wednesday night to the embrace of still a tumultuous gathering of supporters.

Reacting to Tambuwal’s presence at the rousing reception for the suspended governor, his Special Adviser on Media, Imam Imam said:

“Speaker Tambuwal was in Sokoto (for the rally) because he believes in the saying that all politics is local.

Any politician worth his onion must understand and influence the issues of his constituents. The people of Sokoto came out in numbers to welcome their Governor, why shouldn’t the Speaker be there?

He is in Sokoto because that is what the people of Sokoto want and he is happy to be part of the gathering.”

On his suspension, Wamakko was quick to finger what he described as the machination of some Abuja based politicians from Sokoto who are working in cahoots with elements in the presidency, notably the political adviser to the president, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak

Tukur

“Ahmed Gulak should be sacked from being your Political Adviser because he lacks the relevant credentials to be so. He is only gaining more enemies day by day because of his incompetence and arrogance.

Mr. President Sir, I appeal to you to please prevail on Dr. Ahmadu Ali or Abubakar Kawu Baraje to come back and take over PDP with a view to saving it from collapse in the hands of Bamanga-led NWC,” the governor observed.

Challenging those he described as ‘opportunists’ to display their political pedigree, Wamakko listed his achievements since he entered the PDP, which according to him did not have any structure in the state.

“Let me briefly outline my credentials in the PDP and I challenge anyone of them to forward his/hers to compare with that of Wamakko. On taking over the PDP in 2007, the party today has 234 councilors, 23 local government chairmen, 30 House of Assembly members, 11 members of the House of Representatives, 3 Senators, one governor and one deputy governor.”

“Secondly, in 2007/2008 when the issue of Speaker Eteh was threatening the collapse of the PDP, I with five other people sat in Maitama, Abuja and worked out the solution that produced Dimeji Bankole and Usman Nafada as Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively,” he continued adding that they later communicated to then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, then PDP National Chairman, Ahmadu Ali and late President Yar Adua.

Governor Wamakko further stated that he got some states back to the PDP, including resolving the feud between former Kwara governor Bukola Saraki and his late father.

He challenged Bamanga Tukur and Ahmed Gulak to tell the world what they have done for the party to be more PDP than himself.

Tambuwal in his own remarks said that members of the National Assembly from Sokoto state “are a one united family under the leadership of Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko,” adding that “anything that touches Alu naturally touches us.”

“We have heard that you have been purportedly suspended. I said so because as a Lawyer, I have double-checked; I have cross-checked the constitution of the PDP and I have come to the conclusion that what was done was unconstitutional. That is why I am referring to that as purported suspension,” Tambuwal said.

He added that governor Wamakko might have been suspended as a member of the PDP but he remained their leader.