The Emir of Katsina Alhaji Dr Abdulmumini Kabir Usman has told the Director General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2027 re election bid to stop deceiving Nigerians.
He said the people are dying of hunger and poverty and the Tinubu government has not done anything that has benefited the people.
The Emir made the remarks this week when Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari the campaign chief and a high powered delegation including Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda visited his palace in Katsina. The comments were captured in a Hausa language video of the meeting.
Usman said politicians come to his palace every four years with cap in hand asking for prayers and support. After the election they disappear to Abuja and Lagos and only return for the next contest. He asked if the palace is a voting centre or a toilet that people visit only when pressed.
He stated that politics has become selfishness not service. In his days politics was about the community. Now it is about one man his son his wife and his bank account. The leaders call it Renewed Hope but people in Katsina are living in renewed hunger.
The Emir pointed to internal fights inside the APC. He named Governor Dikko Radda against former Governor Masari and his supporters and the Abuja boys. All of them are fighting for the 2027 ticket while bandits are in Batsari Jibia and Safana killing people. He called this selfishness and said the people are dying while leaders fight for tickets.
On insecurity he said 52 schools in his Emirate have closed because of bandits. People cannot go to their farms again over insecurity in 12 local government areas. Farmers have been prevented from carrying out their activities. People pay 10 million naira or 20 million naira ransom to Turji and his boys. He asked why the visitors were talking about a campaign director general for Tinubu in 2027 instead of a security director general for Katsina in 2026. He said Bello Turji is in the forest only 100 kilometres away and leaders promised to handle security so they should go and bring him before coming to campaign.
Usman warned that if leaders practise selfish politics only for their family cronies and contracts the people will also be selfish with their votes. They will collect rice and money and still vote for who they want because the leaders taught them selfishness. In 2023 rice and money were brought but Katsina people still split their votes. In 2027 if the same selfish politics returns the people will collect the gifts but not vote for them.
He told Yari that as director general he is now in a position of leadership and this is not only about Katsina but the entire country. All are children of the nation and must stand for the truth. Politics is about convincing people and listening to their views not fighting condemning others or malice. Leaders must love the people help them and put the interests of others first or they cannot expect divine help.
The Emir also spoke of the collapse of industries in Kaduna such as the DIC and the Peugeot company and asked why they have all gone. He said farmers have been prevented from carrying out their activities and people cannot go to the farm again because of insecurity. Leaders must speak the truth and take action on insecurity and the economic decline instead of remaining silent.
The traditional ruler urged APC politicians to abandon deceit, hatred and envy and focus on practical improvements in the welfare of ordinary citizens rather than personal gain or campaign calculations.
