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I have read with utter dismay the ill-conceived statement credited to one Sani Dododo, a recent defector from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kebbi State. His latest outburst, published in The Punch Newspaper, purports to reject the endorsement of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, as the consensus northern candidate for the PDP national chairmanship. Nothing could be more mischievous, unfounded, and reflective of his trademark character assassination antics.
For context, Sani Dododo joined the PDP alongside Senator Adamu Aliero only a few years ago after years of virulent opposition to the same party and its leaders. His entry was not borne of conviction or ideological alignment, but of political survival after being thoroughly discredited within both the APC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC). His appointment as the state publicity secretary of the PDP was a calculated infiltration a mole planted to sow discord, spread falsehood, and undermine genuine party cohesion.
Dododo’s history is well-known in Kebbi politics. He thrives on controversy, thrives on running down decent men, and has never been associated with constructive engagement. While in the APC, he disparaged respected PDP elders such as Dr Bello Halliru Mohammed and several other party stalwarts. Today, after opportunistically crossing over, he is again deploying the same poisonous tactics against those who have laboured for decades to keep the PDP strong and united in Kebbi and across the North.
His recent vituperation against Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN a statesman, loyal party man, and tested leader is a classic example of an undertaker at work. Dododo seeks to paint Turaki as a “rejected stone” in Kebbi politics when, in reality, Turaki remains the party’s most consistent financier and stabilising figure in the state for over twenty years. Such a malicious statement cannot stand the test of truth or integrity.
The PDP in Kebbi State knows its true leaders and heroes. Whenever the name PDP is mentioned in Kebbi, two illustrious figures stand tall Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and Dr Bello Halliru Mohammed, former acting national chairman of the party. Alongside eminent personalities like General Ishaya Bamaiyi (rtd), General Sarkin Yaki Bello (rtd), and several others, they have stood firm (gidigba)in defence of the party’s ideals even in its most trying moments.
For Dododo, whose political history is littered with betrayals, failed alliances, and a desperate search for relevance, to purport to speak for Kebbi PDP is the height of delusion. His reckless comments neither represent the will nor reflect the position of the PDP family in Kebbi State. They are nothing but the personal hallucinations of a man seeking to validate his newfound assignment as a spoiler and hatchet man.
It is important to remind Dododo that politics is about service, sacrifice, and loyalty, virtues he has consistently failed to demonstrate. His outburst against Turaki betrays frustration and fear of irrelevance. Having found no foothold in the APC and ADC, he now hides under the PDP umbrella to settle old scores and curry favour from those threatened by Turaki’s rising national profile.
Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, remains one of the most respected politicians in Northern Nigeria a man of character, intellect, and proven leadership. His endorsement by Northern stakeholders as the consensus candidate for the PDP chairmanship was neither accidental nor controversial. It was a recognition of his long-standing commitment, his national appeal, and his unmatched record of party service.
Therefore, Dododo’s statement is not only hollow but also inconsequential. It cannot diminish Turaki’s towering image or the collective resolve of the PDP faithful who stand solidly behind him. The Kebbi PDP family rejects Dododo’s divisive antics and calls on all members to ignore the rantings of a frustrated political itinerant.
The party remains united under its tested leaders and will not be distracted by agents of confusion masquerading as party loyalists.
Signed
Mal Haruna D Saidu
Former PDP Chairman Kebbi State and immediate past BOT member.
