The Political Fate of Senator Danzuma

                          The Political Fate

                    Of Senator Danzuma

                           (a short story)

        

                                  By

                      Lene Ododomu

Senator Danzuma has been the people's choice for more than 19 years in the National Assembly and he represents the people of the federal capital territory, Dutse. He is an indigene of the FCT that is loved by his people. During the 2015 Senatorial election, he was accused of bribing INEC to win the election and was took to court. He was so lucky to have a lawyer named High Chief (Barr) Perena (SAN) who is an Ijaw man from Ondo state that has been a lawyer to his family started from his biological mother who introduced the lawyer to him. The case was represented by the lawyer in the Tribunal and was won for his favour.

Haven't still not satisfied with the judgement by his opponent, the case was moved to appeal court to review. He was still so much confident that his  lawyer would delivers him, so he gives go ahead to respond to the appeal. On the day of hearing, he sent his brother, Hon. Isaya, the house of representative member representating the people of Anagada constituency to represent him in the court. He was already been told by his lawyer to have hope since the allegation against him lack merit. But on the first sitting for the hearing, it was adjourned to one week time before proceeding.

By being the elected Senator, Danzuma was still the one that sit on the throne of the FCT senate. Rumours were circulating around the whole FCT that he has been defeated in the court of appeal therefore was ordered by the court to vacate the office. But soon after while still in the midst of the rumour, he addresses the people of FCT through the peoples channel television to debunk the news. 

The hearing continues after the one week adjournment and both the defended and his co-lawyer argued the case. The three men panel which is lead by Justice Okoro of the high court acknowledged the arguments by the two parties and fixed three days after the hearing to prepare and deliver the judgement.

The court room was full with people who came for the judgement and Senator Danzuma was present to see the outcome of the case and he was so confident that he can never loose the case. The three judges arrived and sat for to deliver the judgement two minutes before the fixed time. Then the court clerk was asked to call the case at hand. 

The presiding judge addresses the court and then moves on immediately after the address and announced the judgement which was clearly made to favour Senator Danzuma. He was paraded from the court to his house and some of his boys paraded the who FCT with triumphant jubilation. A party was also organized to celebrate the victory, but the battle was still not finally won. His opponent appealed the case to the Apex Court (Supreme Court) for final review of the judgement.

Senator Danzuma became so afraid this time because anything can happen to him in the supreme court since he can't predict his political fate. He was so worried that sometimes he will go to office without eating. His wife will woke up some night and finds him not sleeping,

"What's that that is troubling you, dear?"  asked the wife who is affected by the situation.

"Nothing" he replies with some much worries in his voice.

"Nothing? No, it can't be nothing because something is really bothering you inside" said the wife while resting her back on the head of the bed cabinet.

"Well, I will tell you. I decided not to tell you before so that you will not join me in the troubling shadow of thinking. My opponent is still not satisfied with the judgement of both the Tribunal and the appeal court and he has moved to the supreme court but I don't know my fate there" replied Sen. Danjuma.

"With God all things are possible. He started with us from the lower court and he will finish it in the supreme court too. Meanwhile, what did your lawyer advice you?" asked the wife.

"Well, he advised me to be calmed and have faith" replied Danjuma.

"I trust him" replied the wife with a smile on her face.

"But never can tell. He has been trying his very best but he still cannot overcome everything though I always believe in him. One of the judges advised me to feed the gods and you understand what I mean by that" said Sen. Danzuma.

"Feed the gods? That's you mean bribing the judges?" asked the wife.

"Yes and I have already made some money availabale for it" replied Danjuma.

"Have you told your lawyer about it? asked the wife.

"No but I will do that tomorrow" replied Danjuma.

"OK do before you do anything. But I know him very well that he will not accept the idea because he only believes in integrity" said the wife.

However, he meets with his lawyer to brief him about his plan but he rejects the idea and advised him not to give any bribe. He put it on himself that Senator Danzuma should hold him responsible if he fail the case in the supreme court. So Danzuma left no option than to follow the advice of his lawyer who has been unfailing winning cases for him without any support of bribe.

God has never failed Senator Danzuma. He won the case in the supreme court and was given the full license to complete his tenure in office. It was at this point that he remembers the existence of God and the professionalized hard work of his lawyer. So he bought a ML 500 (2020 mecedes bens) to appreciate the lawyer.

But some years back when re-election was about to start, many Senatorial candidate from difference political parties started declaring their interest on the FCT Senatorial seat. Though Senator Danzuma has no fear for any of them but still little bit fear for the candidate of the new party that was just formed. This party was already in existence but unknown until a prominent member from Sen. Danzuma's party left for it and be emerged as the party's presidential candidate and he was coming with a massive support by the people of the country. Sen. 

Danzuma made the calculation that the movement of this presidential candidate might affect him because the people will end up giving their votes for both the presidential candidate, house of rep. and Senate of the party. But he was still blinded with his political fate and could not conclude on the outcome of the forthcoming election. Though his lawyer advised him not to continue because he has spent about twenty years in the National Assembly and he initially agreed but later declared his further interest.

Danzuma begins to set plans by building a structure in the 6 area councils so that he will get a concrete support from the Area Councils chairmen. So he campaigns for them and canvass vote to sit about four of them in the Area Council. He succeeded this strategy but it's still obvious that his votes will be affected by this new party because the majority support it in the FCT. Though during his own campaigns he meets with all the traditional rulers of the FCT and almost all of them endorsed him. He became little bit confident but still can't tell the outcome of the election. He also made the foundation very solid by having hand to hand plan with party leaders and then concluded by completing his impending projects.

On the day of the election, it happens so sad that Sen. Danzuma lost his party state chairman who was returning home for the election. A source reveals that he involved in car accident as a result of being tired in the course of preparing for the election. But his death doesn't stop the election to take place so he was put in the mortuary and fixed a day for burial.

The voting starts in all the polling uint in the FCT  and people came out massively to exercise their franchise. Not that he was not wanted by people outside or within the party but because they wanted the presidential candidate of the new party to win the election, some of the party leaders work for the success of the party for the presidency but the voters ended up not knowing the different of the positions.

 What open a beginning must surely close with end, so the results were announced from different polling uint.  But it was so unfortunate that what Sen. Danzuma perceived from the beginning came into manifestation. The election became in favour of the opposition new party. This became very obvious that the support of the presidential candidate of the new party was what gave support to all the offices both senate and the house of representative. The result of the election was announced to declare the  opposition party candidate as winner who was contesting for the office for many years from different political parties but failed. This can be interpreted as her fate too because she finally got what she was striving for with just this favour. Though something was observed that there was an issue of over voting and as a result one Area Council votes were cancelled.

Senator Danzuma failed in the election doesn't mean that the people don't want him but it was a coincidence of his fate. 

It was very sad for him to lose the election and at the same time the death of the party chairman. When he visited the family of the decease, he became so emotional but later summons courage by accepting the fact that everything happens with the will of God.

People were circulating wrong informations that Sen. Danzuma failed to be re-elected because he was not doing well in the office and also greedy not to allow others to taste the red wine of the office. He was silence for a very long time since after the election but unmutes the silence and finally addressed the press.

In his address he opens to the press that he lost his re-election bid during the recent elections because people voted based on emotion and not performance and this emotion was for the presidential candidate of the new opposition party which luckily incorporatDanzuma senatorial candidate of the party too.

Speaking for the first time since the result of the election was announced earlier in the month, Sen. Danzuma said he was not defeated because he did not perform but because people rode on the glory of their principals.

“However, it is unfortunate that some people have allowed their emotions to becloud their judgement of our performance and thereby misleading the public with cheap utterances wrapped with ignorance even when it is clear that some of them are coming to public prominence through the glory of their principals. Though the 2023 senatorial elections came with its challenges and concerns that we hope to address legally, we strongly believe that with your continuous support and prayers for a better capital city of the country under our leadership, we will come out stronger" said Sen. Danzuma.

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Sen. Danzuma also raised concerns about the status of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and called for the territory to be treated like a state and his aim of becoming an ancestor in the senatorial seat of the FCT was to eligible the plan to become the mayor which is similar to a state governor. He lamented that while people in other states will get the opportunity to elect sub-national leaders on Saturday, the territory is left out.

“While other Nigerians will be going to their respective states on Saturday to elect their governors and state houses of assembly members, the FCT people will be at home watching them. This wouldn’t have been so if the federal government had yielded to calls for the democratisation and second-tier government for the people of the FCT" said Sen. Danzuma with a lament voice.

He also disclosed that his colleagues in the senate rejected the Mayor for the FCT bill. According to the senator, if the bill had passed, it would have given FCT the same administrative status as New York City in the US and London in the UK.