Apex Court Judgement: A New Dawn For Zamfara
By: Bappa Abdullah
On Friday, January, 12th 2024, the Supreme Court confirmed what many of us have known for a long time now when it affirmed the election of his Excellency, Governor Dauda Lawal Dare as the duly elected governor of Zamfara state. This pronouncement does not only put paid to the vicious schemes of ex Governor, Umar Matawalle, now under minister of defence, but the concoction by the court of appeal which sought to give Mr. Matawalle hope, but at what cost?
Even to the deaf, the fact that an incumbent governor will come out to tell the whole world that his failure at the polls was orchestrated by forces within the federal government tells you he was well and truly beaten. But, if that was not clear enough an indication for you, then the man’s conduct since he was appointed minister should tell you that he was simply a bitter loser looking for ways to feel relevant.
Before the pronouncement of the Zamfara state Governorship election tribunal, a well-known ally of Matawalle was caught on tape boasting that whether by crook, the use of federal might or the splashing of cash, his principal will emerge victorious. Although, it didn’t turn out as the character boasted at the tribunal, perhaps due to the backlash that trailed that sinister plot, it will appear the plot was kept in abeyance for the appeal court. It therefore didn’t come as a surprise when the court of appeal declared a rerun in what analyst described as both strange and frivolous.
Well, the Supreme Court has exercised its supremacy on the matter and the rest as they say is history. But, then, history will have to remember, that someone who never won election, governing only through the banging of the supreme Court’s gavel preferred to muddy the waters of goodwill donated to him by the good people of Zamfara state. Let history also remember, that the man from Maradun had set out to challenge his destiny, a move that has now left him completely stripped of any dignity in the eye of the people of Zamfara.
The large crowd that greeted governor Dauda Lawal Dare on his return from the Supreme Court is an indication that the people of Zamfara have moved on from their dark days and are well immersed in the light that governor Dauda Lawal Dare promised and is actively working to turn on. This much was repeated by the governor through a press statement by his spokesperson.
The governor, like many right thinking people of Zamfara state considered his victory at the Supreme Court a “confirmation of the collective decision made by the people of Zamfara State during the governorship election held in March last year”. The governor reiterated his resolve that with this “victory which is for all the people of Zamfara State”, he will expand the frontiers of intervention since assuming power.
Although, it didn’t need repeating as the governor’s action since taking over from his predecessor has been a clear departure from the misgovernance of the past, by reaffirming his commitment to the service of the people of Zamfara, reminding them of his campaign manifesto, which he said “serves as a guide for his rescue mission”, the governor has printed a seal on his social contract with the people.
Typical of the man, he used the occasion to urge all people of Zamfara, including opposition party members to unite and work together to rebuild and restore the state, even as he insisted that his “administration is on a mission to rebuild the state from ground up. The people of Zamfara have seen these efforts.
Without mincing words, the mammoth crowd that greeted his affirmation is confirmation that he did not only win at the Supreme Court, but he won even the hearts of the people of the state who freely donated their trust to him without compulsion with many even paying the supreme price to ensure the will of the people prevailed at the polls.
Therefore, if not for anything, this Supreme Court victory signify to onset of eternal service to the memories of those who put their lives on the line to resist the antics of the erstwhile incumbent and his co-travellers. Their sacrifice ought not be in vain. Governor Dauda Lawal Dare must therefore ensure that he succeeds, by ending insecurity in the state. He must make sure he transforms the fortunes of the people be it via agriculture, education, or skills acquisition cum job creation.
The governor must follow through his social contract, even if just to spite those whose palm kernel was cracked for them by benevolent spirits; those who had power entrusted to them but failed to carry it with the sanctity it requires. For the people of Zamfara, let this Supreme Court confirmation of governor Dauda Lawal Dare be the new dawn of growth and sustainable development.
Dauda writes from Maradun
