Ghali Na’abba and 2011

Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’abba the former Speaker of House of Representatives will always be remembered by democrats as someone who refused to be compromised to cause more harm to our democracy by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. His noble acts then made the House of Representatives as darling of Nigerians and even made many Nigerians to refer to him (Na'abba) as the custodian of our democracy in the Fourth Republic.

It is the fear of Na’abba’s principles that led to his been targetted by Obasanjo and Co. to make sure that he was defeated at the poll when he seeks for re-election to the House of Representatives in 2003 election. Na’abba’s attempt to contest for Kano state governor in 2007 election hits the rock when he angrily left Action Congress(AC) complaining of schemes to deny him the party’s ticket, and decamped back to his former party the PDP.

Kano state, like most states in Northern part of Nigeria is suffering from incapable, crass incompetent , political oppurturnism and unreliable representatives in both the State and National Assembly. This has led to calls for the state to have the real men that can represent the people in the National Assembly . Many Kanawa want an end to the era of sending bench-warmers either as Members of the House of Representatives or as Senators to the National Assembly.

Among such notable men that wants the people of their consituency in Kano state to elects them to represents them in the National Assembly is Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’abba who is presently seeking for Senatorship to represent Kano Central under the flag of People Democratic Party(PDP) come 2011 elections.

Been that Kano state is presently controlled by the ANPP led goverment and the Senator representing Kano Central is also from the ANPP, notwithstanding an experinced legislator who has been tested and trusted like Na’abba should be given the oppurtunity by consituents of Kano Central to represent them in the Senate come 2011.

Kano Central have always been producing Senators since 1999 that always failed to provide able representation in the Senate. Always due to party sentiments and money politics , the people have been denied qualitative choice by party leadership of major political parties in the state.

It is an opputurnity for the PDP in Kano state and Kano Central in particular to support Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’abba to emerge as its candidate for the Senate in 2011 elections. The problem of denying electorates capable , competent ,experienced and reliable candidates rests on the shoulders of party excutives who most of the time supports candidates with more money to offer them. This greediness of the party executives have been causing harm to our democracy as no matter how better a candidate is, if he cannot share money to them, they prefer to support the highest bidder as the party candidate. They must change their attitudes for us to get able representatives.


With Senators like Ghali Na’abba if elected the people of Kano Central and the state in general will not be disappointed as he is fully equip with legislative experience right from the Lower House.


Kanawa have to outgrow the era of blindly voting for every Tom, Jack and Harry just because of party sentiment and at the end of the day be disappointed.


Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’abba should be given another chance by his consituency to represent them in the Senate notwithstanding the grievences of many that supported him in 1999 and he failed to some extent in forgetting them to get their own share of “ dividends of democracy”. The intrest of all is more important as if given the chance Na’abba will definately not be a bench warmer.

Shehu Mustapha Chaji

shehuchaji@yahoo.com