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Hon. Danladi Baido refresh from a natural water source along Nguroje-Gashaka in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State road during a stopover
By Anthony Maliki
Preamble
On a rainy Friday afternoon, July 22, 2022, a year ago, I arrived at Honourable Danladi Baido’s residence at Garki, Abuja, not knowing what to face. I was only told by a professional colleague from Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, few weeks back, that the politician wanted a media aide for his governorship campaign elections and had recommended me.
Upon arrival at his residence, I met a small group of persons at the gazable, his sit-out, whom I cannot really recollect now but there was Meshach Godwin Tula, his able Special Assistant (Legislature) and his Police Orderly, Inspector Rufa’i popularly called “Gallant”.
After about an hour or so, those around had left and was left with him. He told me the task ahead, we immediately agreed on points and off we went.
I must confess that I only heard his name linked to the former Governor of Taraba State, Rev. Jolly Nyame some saying he was his right-hand man.
However, at first impression, I was a bit amazed with Hon. Baido’s very simple nature and easy friendly but frank discussions. I am doubting if this is the tough politician that had made Taraba State going over heels during the build-up to the 2007 election. That is a story for another day.
We kept working after he had introduced me to Mr. Meshach also called “Master”. We blended quickly him calling me “Elder” most of the times. I don’t know why. Gradually, together with others we developed many things ranging from setting up the campaign office in Jalingo, suggesting campaign strategies and many other election issues.
Taraba south my starting point
On January 27, 2023, Mr. Josiah Habu, a very strong and close ally of Hon. Baido and I, left Abuja in his reliable Toyota Hilux for Wukari in southern part of Taraba State to set-up and drive the campaign from that part of the state. This was not part of the Campaign Council work but a sole idea of Mr. Habu.Together with a group of very reliables including Victor Onah, Ezekiel, Emmanuel Must-be, Hauwa Adashos, “Hajiya Abuja” and Mainasara among others, day and night push hard the Baido movement agenda through the Ubangayya philosophy. We toured virtually the whole of southern Taraba State propagating and informing people why Hon. Baido should elected Governor of the state. This was apart from the almost daily meetings in Wukari with as many various groups and stakeholders one can think of. By the first week of February, 2023, I and Mr. Habu moved to Jalingo for the governorship campaigns proper. Though, he was on and off Jalingo to tighten loose ends in Wukari by extension, Taraba south.
Hon. Baido speaks to the media after the Taraba North Zonal town hall meeting in Jalingo during the 2023 governorship election campaign
Election proper
Though the 2023 general elections in Nigeria are now history but the dusts raised from the aftermath still reverberates and might still be with us for a very long time.
The much talked about elections that it would be the best game changer in the country’s political history especially with the hype around the use of the ‘magical’ Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been put to rest.
No doubt, each state where the elections took place has its own uniqueness of what played out with politicians trying to outwit each other with some kind of bizarre antics.
In Taraba State, it is no different as campaigns that were hitherto smooth and interesting suddenly turned into another dimension with the hasty endorsement of Lt.-Col. Agbu Kefas (rtd) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) as its “preferred” candidate. This led to the campaigns turning into a fierce religious politicking.
Though the candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Hon. Danladi Baido, All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emmanuel Bwacha and that of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Joel Ikenya condemned the purported endorsement of Kefas, but it was too late. The political campaign was already divided along Muslim and Christian religion lines.
Besides this, however, the overall governorship election result was somewhat appalling surprising for some of us who worked and campaigned closely for the SDP candidate, Hon. Baido.He came a distant fourth.
The results seem somehow surprising as Hon. Baido was definitely one of the top contenders in the governorship race. Some things played out. There was glaring lack of coordination and polling unit agents that Hon. Baido has been emphasizing about throughout his campaign that are key, were just not there. He kept informing his coordinators to appoint key and committed members as polling unit agents but at the end of the day, there weren’t even enough agents or none at all at the polling units leading to the SDP votes being manipulated.
In fact, even on the eve of the governorship election, there were no specific list of SDP polling agents from the Campaign Council and no one could give any reason for that. No one seems to bother at all. Rather, some 12 hours to election day, many coordinators including supporters that ought to be at their various communities, were just hobnobbing at the Campaign Office in Jalingo waiting to be mobilized with funds by the candidate to their various localities of voting than them taking the pains of doing that on their own accord. Not many wanted to spend a dime as contribution to the success of the elections.
Besides, day-in, day-out, the governorship candidate continued to receive many groups and associations at his campaign office in the guise of showing solidarity and support. Whether they are genuine or not, one can hardly know as the heat of electioneering campaign won’t allow for any verification. These groups and associations included ethnic, student, hunters, local governments, women, physically-challenged, religious, youths, traders, sports and so on.
At the end of the day, it all seem those campaigning and working for Hon. Baido might not really be interested in victory and just waiting for a kind of magic to happen.
One would have expected that a week or so to the governorship election, members of the campaign council would have defused to their strongholds to further convince their constituents their candidate is the best. But many people that are surely not needed along the campaign trail including some members of the campaign council supposed friends and supporters were just loofing around the candidate wherever he goes without contributing anything to the course but occupying space and depriving relevant personnel do their work.
Much ‘eye service’
For me, most of the people around Hon. Baido were much of doing “eye service” than actually helping in the campaign trail and just trying to line their pockets. And these are people the governorship candidate believed 100 per cent in them.
Truly, many of them I don’t know personally and never knew their antecedents but they are a monumental failure and disappointment. I now know why many politicians fail. Their so-called “worthy” assistants are the ones who never make things work. For instance, how can a member of the campaign council given resources to reimburse supporters who came from far distances only to “run-away” with raw cash leaving the people stranded overnight? These are what you see.
Election aftermath, congratulatory statement
In fact, on March 19, 2023, a day after the election, the Campaign Council was so deserted that even the movement of ants can be heard. Only a handful came around to find out about result proceedings.
Even as I write this short memoir about my experiences and observations, no one can produce the list of the party’s election agents in the local government areas not to say in the wards. There was confusion as many people keep bringing names off tangent to the course of the election.
In fact, the Information Technology personnel brought from Abuja to set-up the software for Situation Room was left without a clear direction. The election was long lost and no one really cared.
After the results have been declared in favour of the PDP candidate, there was a meeting of few who suggested that the outcome be contested. Hon. Baido refused saying he is not fighting with anybody and God has chosen the person that pleases Him. Immediately he asked me to draft a congratulatory press statement. I did, read it to the meeting. But before any counter voice, he ordered it aired in the media. Chapter close. I think Hon. Baido is now wiser. I am now wiser too as we look towards future polls.
Maliki is Special Assistant on Media to Hon. Danladi Baido the 2023 SDP Governorship candidate in Taraba State.
