By; NA’ALLAH MUHAMMAD ZAGGA
I’m not a fan of conspiracy theories, but some conspiracy theories are so compelling to be dismissed with a wave of hand. I agree with those who argue that the judiciary coup in Kano and Zamfara states are not mere coincidences; they are part of a larger plot to conquer or recapture the North West in 2027.
The Muslim/Muslim ticket has turned out to be the biggest political fraud of all time in our recent history. Muslims voted enthusiastically in the mistaken belief that it’s the formula for permanent political conquest of the Christians. And Christian, worried by this sinister agenda, voted massively for Peter Obi to neutralise or defeat this agenda. In the end, both Muslim and Christian voters have been made to look foolish on account of the consequences of subsidy withdrawal.
Unfortunately, the Nigerian voters (both Muslims and Christians) didn’t realize that the Muslim/Muslim ticket had nothing to do with the passion for Islam. Our politicians are not driven by the passion for religion; they are motivated by the passion for power. They merely and selfishly exploit religion religion to attain power.
The total withdrawal of petrol subsidy without any remedial measures to cushion the adverse effects of the policy on millions of ordinary Nigerians has put Muslims and Christians in the same boat. A bag of rice is over N70,000 today and Muslims are not buying food at lower prices for blindly voting for the Muslim/Muslim ticket. Our North Islamic clerics are seething daily at how they have been used and manipulated by politicians. And these clerics have vowed revenge in 2027 in order to teach APC a lesson.
The APC leadership is silently unsettled by the widespread resentment against the party as a result of the current excruciating hardships in the country. The North West is critical to the survival of the party in 2027 and beyond. So, taking over Zamfara and Kano States by any means necessary is part of the 2027 strategy by the party.
Unfortunately, using the judiciary to achieve this agenda will backfire. The will of the people is superior to a standing army, so said a famous thinker. Our conservative judges have given more prominence to technicality at the expense of the will of the people. They’re punishing the voters over trifling legal issues at the expense of the substance of the justice and the will of the people.
Just look at the case of Ahmed Lawan who was imposed on the people by the Supreme Court, despite the fact that he was neither a candidate nor participated in the election that produced Machina as Senator-elect? Then look at the case of Governor Uzodinma, another Supreme Court candidate. This is worse than a military coup. As Lincoln said, no man has the right to rule another without their consent. But it’s happening in Nigeria through our courts.
However, trying to take back Kano and Zamfara States by force through the judiciary will produce political consequences they can’t handle in 2027. Given the current deep-seated resentments against APC in the North West on account of the its betrayal of the voters in the name of the so-called Muslim/Muslim ticket, I don’t see how the strategy of judicial intimidation would mollify the voters to trust the party again, much less expecting to retake the North West. The defeat will be so comprehensive that not even armoured tanks can save the party from being crushed.
The same religious clerics that they had used in the 2023 election will be their own undoing. These clerics are openly angry and they ready to salvage their reputations in the eyes of the people. So, I don’t know how APC can recapture areas or zones where its popularity has depleted to zero. There are limits you can use the judiciary against the will of the people.
The conspiracy against Abba Yusuf and Dauda Lawal will ultimately backfire. It’s naive to mistake people’s silence in the face of political chicanery as acquiescence to injustice. Just imagine how a court would have the luxury to declare a duly conducted election as inconclusive in order to dismantle the mandate of Governor Dauda Lawal by using federal might. This was what they did against Abba Yusuf in 2019, using federal might to rig the election. They even removed a neutral police commissioner Mohammed Wakili and sent a DIG to intimidate voters. But despite the federal might, Abba Yusuf staged a formidable come back in 2023. Now they are determined to force him out by any means through the judiciary. Unfortunately, for APC, its popularity its popularity is at the lowest point.
So, I don’t see how party facing haemorrhaging goodwill can recapture areas where the voters are inconsolably angry and waiting for a payback time in 2027.
