The fall of Tambuwal’s political empire
By Aminu Mohammed
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state is one step away from going into political oblivion. The former Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives is already in a political quagmire.
Tambuwal, an over zealous and over ambitious politician has always been referred to as smarter as the fox and stronger like the lion but the smartness in the fox and strength in the lion are fading as the embattled outgoing governor is left gaping after the 2023 general elections. Although, he has one last trump card to play and the success or failure of that chess game would determine what the future holds for the fox in this survival game.
As a student of history, one believes the past has a greater role to play in the present and future respectively. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal began active politics as a PDP member in 1999 and switched over to the ANPP after the 1999 general elections. In 2003, he contested for the House of Reps seat representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency in Sokoto state under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Before then however, he served as a Personal Assistant to his in-law, Senator Abdallah Wali who was the Leader of the senate from 1999- 2003. He left the senator who was a PDP member half way, dumped the party and aligned with then Governor Bafarawa in the ANPP and to reward him, Bafarawa gave him the House ticket.
At the House of Representatives, he became so vocal and schemed his way to become the Minority Leader and when he defected back to the PDP, he was elected Deputy Chief Whip between 2007 and 2011. In 2011 Aminu Waziri Tambuwal became the House Speaker, a position he held until he was elected the governor of Sokoto state in 2015 under the platform of the APC, having dumped the PDP once again. In 2018 he betrayed his predecessor, former governor Wamakko by dumping the APC too and went back to the PDP and contested in the presidential primaries which he lost. Having lost one step of his life ambition, he went back and schemed his way back and won the governorship ticket this time under the PDP. He fought one of the greatest political battles of his career and was announced winner in the end. Gov. Tambuwal who is obsessed with power became the vice chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and later its chairman, a position he currently holds.
On February 25, 2023, he was the PDP candidate in the Sokoto South Senatorial election which was declared as “inconclusive”. In fact, he is fingered to be the arrow head of the inconclusive drama which would eventually consume him and he is now one step away from becoming a political liability.
As the Director-General of the PDP presidential campaign team, his principal, Atiku Abubakar failed to win the presidential election while his anointed gubernatorial candidate in Sokoto also lost. The dilemma confronting Tambuwal now is that he has lost every hope of becoming a minister at the federal level and also a political godfather at the state level. His only hope is the senatorial contest in the incoming inconclusive exercise. However, failure to clinch that seat would mark the end of his political ambition which he has been nursing for decades.
As the people of Bodinga, Dange/Shuni, Shagari, Yabo, Kebbe and Tambuwal local government areas warm up to queue for another election in some days to come, the question is, would Tambuwal survive? He has been dreaming to become the first Nigerian to serve as Speaker and Senate President as well therefore, this coming inconclusive election is his last hope to remain relevant in both local and national politics. But now that the PDP has lost majority in the senate, the dream to set that record is not realistic anymore, that is if he ever wins in the inconclusive exercise, an exercise that has already consumed the REC in Sokoto.
Ambition, vision and vanity have all combined to become the undoing of a fine and once promising politician who is about to be politically buried by his own self-centered intrigues. He has virtually betrayed all those who played vital roles in shaping his political career. It is pay back time according to former Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose. You reap what you sow!
