By Olawale Oluwabusola
Former Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shehu Shema, was born on Sept. 22, 1957. At 66, Shema is an accomplished international corporate lawyer, businessman, and politician.
In his voyage in the field of politics, he was a foundation member of PDP. He was also a mentee of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. When Yar’adua was elected as the Governor of the Katsina State in 1999, and he nominated Shema as the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, there was a lone voice against his nomination.
Due to one man’s opposition to his nomination, Shema met with Yar’adua and pleaded to withdraw from the cabinet. But Yar’adua declined.
He eventually served as the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice between 1999 and 2003. In Yar’adua’s second term, he re-appointed Shema. But he politely declined the offer, preferring to return to his thriving private practice as a lawyer and businessman.
In 2005, when there was a crisis in the PDP, leading to the mass resignation of members of National Working Committee, to pave the way for the caretaker committee before the party’s National Convention, the party hierarchy beckoned on Shema to serve as its Deputy National Chairman (North). He served in that capacity till 2007 when he became Katsina State PDP governor. He served as the State Governor for eight (8) years with a laudable record of achievements.
In 2014, when the All Progressives Congress (APC) was formed and Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the party’s presidential candidate, the former governor, despite his closeness to then-retired Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, Shema remained committed to his party, PDP. He ignored appeals from diverse quarters for him to join the APC.
However, the scenario was not the same in 2023, when Shema took a decision to work for the APC against the PDP in Katsina State during the general elections. It was a decision premised on honour, integrity and public interest.
During the 2023 PDP presidential campaign, the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, relegated the former governor to the background during the presidential campaign in Katsina. Atiku ignored the fact that every politician is local.
Shema was in Katsina days earlier to make arrangements for the campaign. But he backed out when he realised that his contribution to the party’s success in Katsina was not recognised.
Atiku’s rhetoric during the campaign was replete with the landmark achievements of the PDP during Shema’s era as governor, including the campaign venue (Kankarda stadium), yet he refused to mention Shema’s name.
Surprisingly, the same Atiku was fond of referring to PDP accomplishments between 1999 and 2007 as the achievements of the Obasanjo/Atiku administration.
Is it not amusing that Shema’s name and photograph, the only living former PDP Governor in the state, were not included in the programme of events for the PDP’s Presidential campaign rally in Katsina on Dec. 20, 2022?
Deliberately, Atiku Abubakar, former National Chairman of the PDP Iyorchia Ayu, and the presidential campaign Council Director-General, Aminu Tambuwal snubbed Shema when the campaign train moved into Katsina.
It is on record that before and after the rally, none of them deemed it necessary to visit or put a call through to Shema, an attitude that further confirmed the conspiracy against a man whose indelible record of performance was perceived to be a threat to the APC’s retention of power in Katsina State.
If not for arrogance, how would a political party seeking a mandate to win elections in a state like Katsina, ignore a two-termed governor of the state? In an election where every single vote counts, is someone not living in delusion to think that Shema would not command hundreds of thousands of sympathy votes from his ardent supporters, mostly the rural dwellers?
Prior to the presidential campaign incident in Katsina, Shema, using his personal resources, opened a PDP presidential campaign office for Atiku in the centre of Katsina, the office was adjudged to be the best among the 2023 presidential candidates’ campaign offices in the state.
It is disappointing that neither the PDP leadership nor the party’s presidential candidate acknowledged Shema’s notable contributions. Shema was like a sheep in the midst of wolves.
The PDP leadership chose to celebrate the APC members, who were regarded in the eyes of electorates as ‘APC nemesis and canker worm’. They were romancing with the PDP before they eventually decamped to PDP, a move regarded by APC leadership as answered prayer.
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Considering the above scenario and other details that will be a matter for another day, it is evident that Shema, with the philosophy of public-oriented service and developmental politics, could no longer function in the midst of political vultures. Hence his decision to pitch a tent with the APC, without any condition attached to it.
To say it loud and clear, Shema worked for Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and APC during the 2023 general elections. The outcome of the elections in Katsina State buttressed this fact.
In an election where the PDP expected to win its presidential election in the state in a landslide, Atiku only polled 489,045 votes while Tinubu got 482,283, a margin of 6,762 votes.
In the gubernatorial election, it was a landslide win for APC gubernatorial candidate, Dikko Radda against PDP candidate Yakubu Lado. Radda polled 859,892 votes, while Lado got 486,620 votes. The 373,272 votes margin is the highest in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Nigeria.
Prior to the 2023 general elections, people regarded Shema as the face and umbrella of PDP in Katsina State. The moment you remove the umbrella, the gathering could no longer hold. This led to the PDP’s embarrassing defeat in the 2023 elections.
The fact that no living member of PDP in Katsina State can match Shema’s record of service is without debate. He was the PDP’s Deputy National Chairman (North) between 2005 and 2007. He served as chairman of its National Disciplinary Committee. The committee amended and drafted the disciplinary procedure as enshrined in the party’s constitution.
He was a member of the Olagunsoye Oyinlola Committee on the Anambra crisis between Chris Mba and Chris Ngige. Shema also served as chairman of several reconciliation committees in South-South, Gombe Benue, Oyo and Lagos States among others.
As a result of his deep commitment to PDP, Shema resisted temptations to decamp to APC. This was in spite of APC’s hostilities against him after the 2015 general elections. In the face of persecutions and trials, he remained committed to PDP just because he was not a transactional politician.
He held on to the umbrella until leadership of the party rewarded his sacrifice and loyalty with hatred and backstabbing.
In the aftermath of 2023 general elections, PDP illegally dissolved the Katsina State PDP executive. It also suspended Shema and some others persons from the party.
The action necessitated a reaction from Shema, a first-rated administrator with exemplary records of public service. Shema, in his famous two-page letter, dated March 24 addressed to the then National Chairman of PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, appealed to the party to rescind its decisions as following:-
(1) Rescind the National Working Committee (NWC) decision of unlawful dissolution of Katsina State’s Executive Committee. It should allow them to complete their tenure. And it should disband the purported caretaker committee. Many court decisions have illegalised similar caretaker committee. (2) Rescind the NWC decision of his suspension as a member of PDP within the next 48 hours.
Failure to effect these two changes, this letter serves as the formal and official withdrawal of his membership from PDP. And my withdrawal will be effective from Saturday, March 25. 2023.
The NWC of PDP eventually rescinded its decision on Shema’s suspension after 72 hours. But it ignored the reversal of the unlawful dissolution of the Katsina State Executives Committee of the party.
Shema, unlike many Nigerian politicians, doesn’t play transactional politics. His decision to quit PDP was purely on principle, rule of law, honour, integrity and public interest. He has determined to use the rest of his life to serve God and the public interest. He remains resolute and committed to good governance for a better and prosperous Nigeria.
It is glaring that his likes are few among the politicians in the country’s political space. He is a man of his word. And his major ‘sin’ is the fact that he is not political ‘hyenas or vipers’. That’s why there’s hatred, conspiracy and the gang-up against him.
Once again happy birthday to a man with a heart of gold astute politician. You are an accomplished administrator, my leader and mentor, brother and friend.
Oluwabusola is Head of Media Team of former Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema.
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