Political tolerance: Alhassan Ado’s exemplary conduct

  By Lawal Ibrahim, ANIPR

The biblical allusion on turn­ing the other cheek was copi­ously displayed on Monday, 17th October instant, at Tudunwada Dankadai, when House of Represen­tatives Majority Leader, Hon Alhas­san Ado Doguwa, OON, closed down his 14-year old Federal Constituency office in the area.

The story is not about the closure, but the circumstances that led to it, and the magnanimity shown.

It all began about a week earlier, when the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) House of Representatives candidate for the constituency, Hon Salisu Yusha’u and his state assem­bly counterpart for Tudunwada, Hon Abdullahi Iliya Yaryasa, established their campaign office just across the road (opposite Doguwa’s office).

Yes, one would argue that every Nigerian has constitutional rights of living, association, etc. Thus, the NNPP candidates have the right to es­tablish office wherever they so wish. But, where one’s rights stop, is where another’s began, and, there can only be talks about rights when we are liv­ing in peace.

Before establishing the office, it was said that the duo had to rebuff all entreaties by security agents (DPO, DSS, etc) and well-meaning peo­ple in the area-some of whom were NNPP supporters, begging them to move to another site, because they all were said to have viewed the action as a sure invitation to anarchy.

The action was said to have gen­erated a lot of tension and condem­nations in the area, and was viewed by many as a deliberate move to pro­voke Doguwa or his supporters to react and lead to violence that would eventually smear their image.

But, not as was expected by their op­ponents, neither Doguwa nor any of his supporters paid any attention to the per­ceived provocation, not until that fate­ful Monday, when the Majority Leader convened a meeting at his office.

On mounting the podium to deliver his speech, Hon Doguwa began: “One of the authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) enjoined believ­ers to checkmate any evil they come across by using force to stop it; talk­ing against it, or at worst, abhorring it, which signifies the weakest level of belief. I know my belief level is not weak, so, I will use ‘force’ to stop an impending evil.

“As the Majority Leader of the House of Reps, I have every instru­ment at my disposal including secu­rity outfits and youths to deal with this provocation by our opponents in a higher measure, but the best Muslim is the one who denies himself the right to vengeance at the time he has all the reasons and means for that, thus, since what our opponents wanted was for us to give them a reason to maim our constituents, from today Monday, 17th October, 2022, I declare this office of mine closed, and all activities being conducted here, will now be moved to another office on the western part of this town,” he announced. Inciden­tally, the closed office is on the eastern part of the town, along Jos Road.

To this point, all well-meaning peo­ple in and out of the area have con­tinued to shower encomiums on Hon Alhassan Ado for this exceptional sportsmanship, especially considering the very likely fatalities and destruc­tions that would have ensued, had he played along with the opposition.

According to the Council Chair­man of the area Alhaji Ahmad Tijjani Musah, Alhassan’s decision had saved the local government the burden of having to contend with the imminent chaos that would emanate from hav­ing the two opposing sides staying just facing each other, conducting their political activities at their whims, especially at this campaign era.

It was alleged that the premises the NNPP candidates used in creating the office, a former Community Bank belonging to the Local Government, was illegally acquired by someone in a dubious manner, before an ally of Hon Yusha’u took it on rent and hand it over to them on the advice of one of the NNPP candidates.

With this move, Rt. Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa has proven President Muhammadu Buhari and whoever has a hand in the selection of recipi­ents of the recent National Honours Awards right, for awarding the Offi­cer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on him.

The act has also shown the Major­ity Leader to be a statesman worthy of emulation by not only politicians but every individual Nigerian who wishes to see improvement in our peaceful co-existence.

Ibrahim is a Kano-based journal­ist and can be reached on sabolawani@
yahoo.com