By Rayyanu Bala

First and foremost, I am not here to challenge Hon. Tanimu Tancy Al-Makura nor to defend Hon. Aliyu Bello regarding their recent political altercation. My sole intention is to set the record straight and dispel any misconceptions arising from Hon. Tancy’s claims during the distribution of palliatives by the wife of the former IGP, who is also a contender for the Nasarawa gubernatorial seat in 2027.

At the distribution event held at St James Primary School, Lafia yesterday, Hon. Tanimu Tancy was quoted saying that he influenced the appointment of Hon. Aliyu Bello as Secretary of the CPC when Senator Al-Makura was governor. While I do not intend to diminish Tancy Al-Makura’s influence at that time, indeed, he wielded enormous power, but I can confidently say that Tanimu Tancy had no hand in Aliyu Bello’s appointment as CPC Secretary. In fact, Bello’s appointment came as a surprise even to Tancy and others within Al-Makura’s circle, who had no clue who would be chosen.

Al-Makura made his decision about Aliyu Bello independently. There is a mistaken belief that Tancy and closed circle members controlled all decisions during Al-Makura’s tenure. While they influenced many decisions, once Al-Makura had made up his mind, no one could change it. They could only make side talks.

I served as Senior Special Assistant on Media during Al-Makura’s first term, which gave me the opportunity to study his style of governance. Anyone who understands Al-Makura knows he is very stubborn on matters once he has made up his mind.

So, how did Al-Makura decide on Aliyu Bello as State CPC Secretary? This is where I come in. I’m not implying that I directly lobbied Al-Makura or that anyone else did. I believe no one did, and any claim otherwise is simply to take credit.

The reason I say I was involved is because I was the person who drew Al-Makura’s attention to Aliyu Bello through my writings. The first article I wrote, which caught Al-Makura’s eye, highlighted an interview Aliyu Bello gave in Hausa on Precious FM, Lafia. The topic was the tenure of Local Government chairmen in Nasarawa State, a contentious issue at the time. The executive arm, led by Al-Makura of the CPC, argued the tenure was three years, while the legislative arm, led by Speaker Musa Mohammed of the PDP, insisted it was two years and that elections must be held accordingly. This created significant tension.

Aliyu Bello, then secretary of the nPDP, sided with the executive in his interview, supporting the three-year tenure position. My article in Sunday Trust prominently featured Aliyu Bello’s stance, which excited Al-Makura. From that moment, Al-Makura resolved to bring Aliyu Bello from nPDP to CPC to serve as secretary.

Two days after reading the article, Al-Makura called Aliyu Bello to inform him of his decision. Shortly after, Aliyu Bello contacted me to update me on the discussion and asked me to intensify efforts on his behalf.

A week later, Al-Makura called Aliyu Bello again to invite him to Government House. Aliyu Bello arrived with HRH Isa Madaki, the current Sarkin Awuma, and I led them to the governor’s residence. Then Al-Makura’s ADC, Jamilu Ringim and then-Chief of Staff Alhaji Musa Dan Azumi can attest to this meeting.

In the dining room, with the Chief of Staff excused, it was just the four of us: Al-Makura, myself, Aliyu Bello, and HRH Isa Madaki. Al-Makura reassured Aliyu Bello that he would make him the CPC Secretary. It is important to note that none of Al-Makura’s closed circle, including Tancy, were involved in this process. Al-Makura, all this while, communicated directly to Aliyu Bello not through any third party.What informed Al-Makura’s decision not to involve anyone from his close circle, I do not know.

After leaving Government House with Al-Makura’s assurance, Aliyu Bello immediately called former Governor Abdullahi Adamu, then a leader of nPDP in Nasarawa State, to inform him of the meeting and its outcome. After his discussion with Adamu, Aliyu Bello called me again to relay the encouragement he received to accept Al-Makura’s offer.

However, my writings and efforts on Aliyu Bello put me at odds with members of Al-makura’s closed circle. Their flawed perception was that I had grown powerful enough to make appointments in the government. This made me a target, and eventually, they found a way to sideline me.

At that time, I was constructing a small structure, which they used as an excuse, they drove Al-Makura to the site. By coincidence, I was at the site when they arrived, and this marked a turning point in my relationship with Al-Makura. Previously full of praise for me, his attitude changed, and I was gradually sidelined until the end of his first tenure.

After Appointment of Aliyu Bello, Tanimu Tancy once confronted me at the Presidential Lodge after a peace rally organized by the state government, saying something to the effect of:
“Kasamu party secretariat, yanzun kanace kare ka ba babaka,”
loosely translated as,
“You got a party secretariat, and now you you can do whatever you want.”

By 2015, when Al-Makura secured his second term, my name was absent from all appointments, and I was content to step back. I said to myself Alhamdulillah.

In conclusion, I repeat: nobody influenced Aliyu Bello’s appointment except Al-Makura himself. It was his decision alone.