By Lawal Jet Kaugama
The people of Sokoto state have heived a sigh of relief now that the highest court in the land has echoed the will of the people of Sokoto State.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had asked the Supreme Court to set aside the concurrent judgements of the Court of Appeal and the Tribunal at the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court, on Thursday, affirmed the election of Ahmed Aliyu as the validly elected governor of Sokoto State, in the March 2023 Sokoto State governorship poll, dismissing the appeal of his closest rival, Saidu Umar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Supreme Court ruling is a cause for all well-meaning individuals in Sokoto to celebrate because even after the election tribunal and appeal court had affirmed that Aliyu was duly elected as laid down by law, Umar was still bent on pulling down the edifice the people had built.
In the March 18 governorship election, Aliyu polled 453,661 votes to defeat Umar, who polled 404,632 votes.
With no valid evidence to void Aliyu’s election, his traducers resulted to blackmail, claiming that Aliyu and his deputy were not eligible to contest the election, that their certificates were fake.
Fortunately, the facts before the justices could not pervert the course of justice. Aliyu, a man of honesty and integrity, deserved our collective commendation considering the number of projects he had executed with limited available resources within one hundred days in office.
In view of the significant landmarks so far recorded in his administration in steering the affairs of the state, the governor deserves more commendation and support joy Sokoto people irrespective of political divides.
During his short stewardship in office, particularly less than half a year, more than 50 kilometres of roads were rehabilitated within the metropolis, while tens of kilometres of rural roads have also being renovated and a lot more works are ongoing in the area of water supply. Above 600 boreholes were sunk and renovated to restore adequate water supply within sokoto state and it’s environs.
Schools, both elementary and tertiary, were also renovated and fully furnished by the young administration of Governor Aliyu to enhance teaching and learning experience in the state.
All these developmental projects are being financed without any kobo owed by the state government. This accounts for his prudence and incorruptibity.
Just as it is the belief that Aliyu is a Godsend to the political landscape of the Seat of Caliphate, he was able to purchase tones of millet, rice and other grains which his government distributed to the people at zero cost across the 23 local government areas in order to cushion the effects of subsidy removal.
In his humanity, all classes of people are not left untouched. Thus a set of over 30 Toyota Camry 2022 and forty 18-seater buses were procured and launched for women and other citizens to ease transportation in and outside the state.
Knowing that security of life and property is a prerequisite for growth and development, Aliyu also procured another set of hundreds of Toyota Hilux trucks which he gave to security operatives to enhance their operations.
He has also procured over one hundred thousand bags of fertilizer for distribution freely to farmers in the state.
Going by his antecedents we have confidence in the ability, commitments and sincerity of the governor to perform creditably and efficiently as the beginning of his administration has shown a lot of promise and potential geared towards the overall socio-economic development of the state.
No wonder the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic party and former governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, had described Gov Aliyu as a young and dynamic leader full of courage and žeal to deliver Sokoto state to a promised land.
Now that the coast is clear, what is left for the people now is to continue to pray and support the administration of the governor irrespective of political party affiliations so that the provision of needed services to the people in the state and the implementation of all the necessary policies and programmes for sustainable growth and development in the state will be assured.
By the foregoing, may I appeal to the opposition and people of Sokoto state to come and join hands with the government of Ahmed Aliyu to move the state forward to the next level.
Lawal Jet Kaugama, a commentator on national issues, writes from Kano.
