Arome Attah
Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura is a good example of perseverance, courage and hard work. He learnt as a business man many years ago, that vision and courage are the keys to great leadership and relevance. So, he made the best of all the experiences and opportunities around him before he became a politician. Eventually, he conquered the world of business and now, politics. There is no doubt that he also learnt all the critical lessons as a conscious and forward-looking business man. Today, as a senator and two-time governor of Nasarawa State, Al-Makura is on a roll, conquering new grounds in politics and preparing for more responsibilities in Nigeria’s ever changing political terrain.
As a matter of fact, he is a major issue in the politics of Nigeria and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s leading political party where he is respected for his views and accomplishments. In a way, this unusual politician is also on a prolonged spell of success and triumph in politics, and this is not only endearing him to people, it is also helping him in his quest to break new grounds and build more bridges for himself and his party.
Now, the two-term governor is in search of bigger responsibilities in his capacity as a founding member of the ruling party. He is currently oiling his political machine for the big one and this is essentially about his desire to clinch the chairmanship of his party, the APC. From the look of things, his dream may come true. Al-Makura is lucky as everything appears to be working in his favour. With a strong home base support led by Governor Abdulahi Sule, his successor in office and a growing popularity in his home state of Nassarawa, the stage looks set for his emergence.
This amiable senator representing Nassarawa South in the National Assembly will also be banking on the politics of geo-political zones. From every indication, geo-politics is also clearly in his favour. This is in addition to his bearing and fighting spirit as a politician who will leave no stone unturned in his quest for the APC top job.
However, one interesting thing is that the senator will also make history if he eventually becomes the next chairman of his party. In the first place, he will be the first member of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, which is President Muhammadu Buhari’s wing of the APC. It will be recalled that before now, the two former Chairmen, John Odigie-Oyegun and Adams Oshiomhole belong to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, arm. Secondly, Al-Makura will also be the first elected chairman of Northern extraction as the earlier ones hail from the South, specifically the South-South. Thirdly, there is also the belief in some quarters that the aspirant has all it takes to unite a political party that is still searching for identity after its victory in the 2015 general elections.
Al- Makura
The chairmanship contender’s desire to pilot the affairs of his party became obvious in March 2021 when his posters first appeared in major streets of his home state and Abuja, the federal capital. Since then, his field soldiers have been working, gauging the country’s political temperature and enlisting the support of party members from far and wide. This was equally followed with television appearances, radio jingles and promotional messages by his diehard supporters across the country.
But it is important to state that Al-Makura is not desperate. As a true party man, he has promised to abide by his party’s rules and regulations guiding the election especially with regard to zoning which remains a major factor in Nigeria’s politics.
According to him, “if they zone the office of the national chairman to the North Central, then we will all go with our might and officially declare our ambition. If they throw it open, we will come out in full glare to contest, but if they zone it to either North-East or North-West, then I will not go into the race because I am a loyal member of APC”.
But the aspirant also has other things going for him. For instance, among many people in the party, Al-Makura is generally regarded by some people as a moderate and credible politician who if voted, will bring the much-needed change to the APC and its politics. There are also those who regard him as an honest and consistent political player who can be relied upon for initiative and inclusiveness. If he wins, then he will most likely unite different tendencies with his network of friends, His experience in bridge-building and consensus is also another advantage that cannot be glossed over especially with his popularity. He is obviously the aspirant to beat and this is becoming clearer by the day.
Before pitching his tent with the CPC in 2011, the former governor had worked with like-minded people in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP where his political career under this republic, began. But after losing the then ruling party’s governorship primary, he moved on. He eventually won the governorship ticket and the election on the platform of his new party and became the CPC governor before he was reelected in 2015 on the APC ticket after the merger. He has the needed goodwill that is why at the moment, he is widely believed to be the right man for the job.
