‎"Tell Them the Truth": The Emir of Katsina's Message to Tinubu's Campaign

When a campaign delegation visits a palace, a courtesy call can turn into a public lecture. That is what happened in Katsina this week.

The Emir of Katsina, Alhaji (Dr.) Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, CFR, spoke when Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Director-General of the APC presidential campaign council, and his delegation visited as part of consultations ahead of President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid. The delegation included Governor Dikko Umaru Radda and former governors, and it also called on the Emir of Daura.

The Emir began from a principle: traditional rulers have a responsibility to speak the truth to political leaders, and respect for the people is essential to securing divine favour. "We as traditional leaders must tell you the truth," he said in Hausa.

The substance was a warning about promises. He said political lies will catch up with a government that fails to deliver on its re-election promises. He also said unfulfilled campaign promises had weakened public confidence in democratic governance, and urged politicians to rely on persuasion rather than witch-hunting, castigation or malice.

Security dominated his remarks. He told Yari to carry a message to the President to safeguard the lives and property of northerners before seeking their votes, citing banditry and kidnapping.

He described disruptions to education, farming and economic activity in Katsina. One outlet reported that he said 52 schools in his emirate had closed because of bandits. That figure appears in a single report, so confirm it before repeating it.

He also criticized politicians more broadly. He urged leaders to put public welfare ahead of displays of wealth and foreign travel. He lamented the decline of northern industries such as Peugeot, NIDC and textile companies. And he expressed disappointment that regional leaders had not spoken out enough about the challenges facing their communities.

The reports I found do not carry a response from the APC campaign council or the presidency, so this account gives only one side. Campaign officials would likely point to the government's security and economic efforts, but they have not said so in the coverage I found.

The episode shows how Nigeria's traditional institutions work. Emirs hold no elected power, but their words carry weight with communities and politicians.

In Katsina, where insecurity has hit farming and schooling, a ruler saying so in front of the campaign's director-general is a message the political class will have to answer, whichever side they are on.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science communicator, Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,United States Institute of Peace (USIP), [email protected] +233555275880

Sources
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