Ado Doguwa’s Threat to Democracy

 A threat by the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, to deal with those opposed to the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2023 general election has demonstrated the extent politicians who live on elective offices can go to retain their hold on power at the detriment of the people. Ejiofor Alike writes that security agents should move against Doguwa and his likes who are allegedly involved in acts of violence ahead of the polls

Many Nigerians were shocked recently when a member representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State at the House of Representatives, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, issued a threat to members of his constituency to either vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in elections or be dealt with.

Ado-Doguwa is not just an ordinary member but the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.

In a video that went viral, Doguwa, who spoke mainly in Hausa, used abusive language to threaten prospective voters at a political rally in Kano.

“To God who made me, on election day, you must vote for APC or we will deal with you.

“I’m saying it again: On election day you either vote for APC, or we deal with you.

“Repeat after me, in Doguwa you either vote for APC or we deal with you,” he said.

Doguwa was first elected into the House of Representatives in 1992 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

He returned to the Green Chamber in 2007 and has not only remained there since then but is seeking to return in 2023.

The lawmaker may have regarded himself as a life member of the House of Representatives for him to make such inflammatory comments against his people, who may have become tired of his representation.

His desperation to retain his seat is not surprising following a revelation that he is being positioned as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives in the event that his party wins the 2023 presidential election.

An amalgamation of dozens of groups under the platform of Groups for Democracy had already written Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to kick against the plan to make him the next speaker due to his alleged ignoble public conduct.

The federal lawmaker’s utterances were a clear demonstration of the extent those who have lived all their adult lives on elective political offices can go to retain their hold on power, without regard to how such ‘do-or-die’ politics had truncated Nigeria’s democracy in the past.

In a post via his verified Twitter handle, a former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, had described his comments as a threat to peaceful elections.

Sani wrote: “The threat to deal with anyone who refuses to vote for the ruling APC in Kano is unfortunate and a serious threat to peaceful elections. I advise the ranking Honorable member involved, who is still a lawmaker for over two decades to withdraw this statement.”

Doguwa has also been dragged to court over the threats he issued.

The plaintiff, Oseyili Anenih, who filed the suit at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on December 20, said Doguwa’s ominous statement, which contravened Section 93 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022, was “capable of causing threat, fear of use of force or threat in the minds of ordinary Nigerian electorate.”

Following the outrage that greeted his comments, Doguwa had attempted to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians, claiming that his statement was not a threat but campaign rhetoric peculiar to Kano politics. 

“Asking people to vote for APC or we deal with them simply means – like what you can call shenanigans, political brouhaha, which we make simply to ginger our supporters, to let them feel that we are on the ground and we will get it right,” Doguwa reportedly explained on a national TV.

For Doguwa to claim that threat has different meaning in Kano politics shows how Nigeria’s political leaders think that the rest of the people are illiterates.

Hiding under any deceptive rhetoric of Kano politics to threaten democracy is unacceptable.

The federal lawmaker is not new to the allegation of inciting or perpetrating violence.

Doguwa made the latest threat barely one month after he allegedly attacked the deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Kano State, Murtala Garo, with a teacup during a meeting.

However, the lawmaker denied that he attacked the deputy governorship candidate.

But Garo had told BBC Hausa that the majority leader violently invaded a meeting at the deputy governor’s residence and made several “baseless accusations” against the gathering, including the deputy governor, Nasiru Gawuna, who is also the party’s governorship candidate.

Garo alleged that the majority leader became violent and injured him with a teacup while he was trying to defend himself against some of the accusations.

He explained that Doguwa accused them of not inviting him because they were sharing money.

 “But the deputy governor replied that they are not sharing money because nobody gives them money to share; he then asked why he was not invited despite his position as the majority leader, and that is how the argument turned into a quarrel.

“Doguwa accused me of destroying his banners which I denied; he grabbed a teacup in front of the deputy governor and threw it at me,” Garo said.

But in his defence, Doguwa explained that he was in the meeting to ask why federal lawmakers from the state were not invited but their colleagues at the state level and commissioners and others were in attendance.

Doguwa said while he was asking the deputy governor, but “this boy (Garo) responded by saying ‘so what if we did not invite you;’ he started abusing me in the process; he broke a teacup and slipped into it injuring himself.”

“Contrary to what people are saying, I did not throw a teacup at him,” Doguwa reportedly told BBC Hausa.

Meanwhile, Governor Ganduje’s spokesperson, Abba Anwar said his principal was asked to intervene and call Doguwa to order.

According to Anwar, “an amalgamation of dozens of groups under the platform of Groups for Democracy, wrote a letter to the governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje urging him to call Alhassan Ado Doguwa, member representing Tudunwada/Doguwa federal constituency, to order, as his (Doguwa) political behaviours are allegedly becoming something else.

“They jointly argued that His Excellency should kindly call this man to order, else he will ditch the honourable position attached to his representation. And that could not be good for the party in his constituency, Tudunwada and Doguwa.”

The letter reportedly read: “Your Excellency, Sir this is not the type of person we need as a Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the next coming Assembly.

“What transpired at the deputy governor’s residence, started by Hon. Doguwa is nothing but disrespectful to our governor’s choice of gubernatorial candidate and his running mate.”

They accused Doguwa of engaging in other acts that are unbecoming of a political leader.

Desperate politicians had truncated Nigeria’s democracy in the past.

With the ongoing killing of opposition candidates, destruction of campaign posters and attacks on campaign rallies ahead of the 2023 general election, security agents should move against the likes of Doguwa who allegedly make inflammatory comments.