Abdualazeez Yari : A Sad Lesson For Us All. Part 1

By Nura Almajir Gusau

Today I will reflect on most of the happenings and events that led to the failure of APC in Zamfara State and it’s ultimate loss of power. Reflections are good because they help us to look back in order to understand where we went wrong and make amends.

I will start with Koguna, the candidate that Abdul Aziz Yari tried in vain to impose on us all. I had the privilege of being his friend from childhood and I can say a few things about him.

He’s a very intelligent young Man, composed and cautious. He’s also humorous and easy going to an extent but he chooses his friends.

I also had the privilege of discussing with him extensively about his ambitions from the 1st time he joined politics in 2003 through 2011 when he was appointed a Commissioner. At various times I was his Friend, his colleague, his rival and his adversary. I was also a victim of his cunning ambitions at some points in our lives. But this is a story for another day.

What I’m trying to say here is that contrary to the widely held belief that it was Yari that dragged Koguna into the contest for governorship, I can confidently reveal that it was Koguna that manipulated Yari into anointing him as his candidate. In fact i was one of the few people that discussed with Koguna about the possibility of him succeeding Yari after 8 years, as early as 2011 after he was appointed a commissioner.

Since then I have watched with keen interest as Koguna worked and warmed himself into Yari’s heart by showing extreme loyalty and dedication to serving only Yari and his family to the extent that he abandoned most of his friends and some of his family members. For 8 years I watched how a remarkable young man with so much prospects turned himself into a slave of his ambitions and served someone so blindly even when his Boss has derailed from the good cause of serving his people. The Koguna that I knew as very cosmopolitan suddenly brought himself down to the levels of the Dan Autas, Dan tabawas, Konkas and the rest of the Yari Gang just for him to gain their trusts. Instead of him to be different, he became part of the sychopantic crowd that cheered and encouraged Yari into Political destruction.

Well, Abdul Aziz Yari himself is a typical example of a grass to grace and back to grass Story. Here’s a man from a humble background that Allah has catapulted to the position of privilege and leadership but he allowed his arrogance to overpower him.

To begin with, Yari has always been arrogant. But when he wanted Power, he controlled his arrogance. He also warmed himself into the people’s hearts by being philanthropic and accessible. But a few years after he became Governor, he allowed power to enter his head and arrogance to take over his life style. He looked down at everyone and surrounded himself with Sychopants to whom he did no wrong.

They hailed his every blunder and called him superlative names like Super Governor, Governor of Governors, General etc. He felt so superior that he relocated to Abuja and abandoned Zamfara people. He reduced governance to sharing of state allocations with his cronies every month after paying salaries. Matters became worst when he was elected as Chairman of Governors’ forum. Since then he only visited the state on special occasions.

While Yari was busy living the life of a King in Abuja, Zamfara started to burn. Abject poverty and hunger fuelled by unemployment and illiteracy led to massive banditry and cattle rustling. But instead of Yari to return home and tackle the problem from inception he stayed back in Abuja and allowed it to persist until it grew out of hand.

While Zamfara bled with violence and abductions Yari was buying mansions in Abuja and the US, he was flying around in private jets or dating the president’s daughter. Sleeping in the most expensive hotels around the World. He listened to no one outside his circle of sychopants.
Well again, no condition is permanent.

But Yari seemed to believe that he will perpetually remain in power so he didn’t really plan for failure. He was so much confident of his invincibility that even when the end of his reign was nearing, he refused to adjust or face reality.

For a man that claimed to be a General in politics, I was shocked to realize that Yari finally came up with only a Plan A and no plan B. From the day he came up with his list of anointed candidates my instincts told me that he was going to Crash. And as Allah willed, I became involved with the team that fought Yari to the end.

From the onset, Yari began to implement his succession plan with arrogance. He kept everyone guessing about his preferred successor for months. When at last he came out with his list, it was obvious that he consulted no one. There were protests from every angle but he maintained deaf ears. To Yari, no one can challenge him and whatever he decided can not be changed. He insisted that not even one of his anointed candidates can ever be be replaced. He behaved as if he was God.
It was this kind of attitude that made other aspirants to form strong resistance. The rest is now history.
If Yari wasn’t power drunk, he could have realized from day one that God didn’t approve of his succession plans. He made blunders after blunders with each passing day while his opponents recorded early successes against.

1st of all he wanted indirect primaries but his opponents overpowered him at the national headquarters of his party where direct primaries were approved. All his rallies and campaign flopped while those of his opponents succeeded. While he was been booed and pelted, his opponents were cheered and encouraged every where. Instead of Yari to sit and reflect he claimed that he was just being tested by God.

Well, for all his claims to Islamic knowledge, Yari’s behaviors showcased ignorance and stubborness. While accusing others of not accepting the will of God, his actions were nothing but refusal to accept the will of God.

Yari also believed that money can do anything so he pumped more money with the belief that it will surmount all his problems. It was a spending spree in Zamfara and Abuja so officers at the national headquarters of APC, State house, judiciary and lawyers smiled to the bank while Zamfara bled to death.

Yari didn’t care as long as he could have his way. Billions and billions of public funds were wasted in vain.
Yari conducted sham primaries against the Party rules then went to a state high court to validate a lie.

By the time he got the national working committee of APC to do his bidding the damage has been irreversibly done. Evidences abound that could not be destroyed. But Yari could never listen. He ended up stabbing himself further by fighting the consensus earlier approved by the NWC, which was the only chance he had of getting anything in the new dispensation. He spent a lot of money to fight it at the federal high courts and the Court of Appeal. All attempts to make him see the dangers of his actions and why the

consensus could be his last chance met brick walls. For Yari it was either his anointed candidates or nothing. So Allah gave him nothing.