Letter to Dokubo Asari: Import peace to Kano, not demagoguery, by Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Kofarmata

When I listened to the short clip yesterday in which Dokubo Asari, claimed he would join forces with others to bring down Kwankwaso in Kano, I experienced mixed emotions.

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I laughed at his recklessness, as I am well aware that no sober-minded individual would utter such repugnant remarks. To set Asari straight, I will add to his knowledge a few records of Kwankwaso in Kano State: Kwankwaso won his second term as governor of Kano against the formidable Buhari’s party, CPC, as well as the ruling ANPP in the state.

He also defeated the incumbent governor, Ganduje, in 2019 during the controversial inconclusive saga and achieved a landslide victory in 2023. These incidents were all against both the state and federal might, with Buhari, the former messiah of the North, as president.

Kwankwaso has proved to be a true nationalist and democrat on multiple occasions; he supported MKO Abiola against Bashir Tofa in the 1993 presidential election, supported Obasanjo in 2003 against Muhammadu Buhari, and also supported Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in 2011 against Buhari, all because of his faithfulness to the political party system far beyond the corridors of the state. It will interest Asari to note that, during a notable national movement in 2015, alongside other nationalists determined to safeguard democracy, Kwankwaso supported APC-Buhari, contributing approximately 1.7 million votes to his decisive victory over the incumbent president.

What saddens me is the moral decadence and weakness in our system of governance, where repentant individuals and those who have benefited from amnesty are sometimes not placed on probation with certain physical and emotional conditions. In a more civilised society, where manners and attitudes matter, respect and appreciation are the least expected from someone like Asari, as a gesture of gratitude to well-meaning citizens who helped mould his future, such as the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Mr Dennis Otuaro, and Kwankwaso, who recommended the PAP while he was at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) before his resignation in 2010.

Asari should know that Kano is not Rivers State; the political turmoil and commotion he instigates there will have no place in Kano State whatsoever. Naira-politics may be effective in some places, but not in Kano. Most citizens of Kano cannot be bought and have no price tags. This is historical, because the politically conscious attitude of Kano citizens, stemming from the days of NEPU, who bravely fought against colonisation and for freedom from servitude, will not accommodate the unscrupulous dictates of a foreigner like Asari, who lacks emotional wisdom.

For the record, Kwankwaso believes in capacity, quality and competence; most importantly, he likes to associate with leaders who are prepared to sacrifice for the betterment of the country, not those driven by selfish interests or religious chauvinism. Some of his achievements include fighting and abolishing thuggery through the establishment of a reformatory institute to curb this menace. Even when out of power, through his Kwankwasiyya Development Foundation (KDF), he introduced several initiatives to protect the state from the effects of drugs and other social vices, such as establishing a sanatorium at Jido in Dawakin Kudu, Kano. These projects have saved the state from the reproduction of thugs, helping them realise their full potential, and many now contribute to economic development in the country. I wish Mr Asari would learn from Kwankwaso’s goodwill and replicate such programmes in his own community, rather than behaving like a demagogue.

Mr Kofarmata is a former Commissioner of Higher Education and Science, Technology & innovation, Kano State.