Special Report | Lives Of Former Governors After Office.

Call them yesterday’s men if you like, in the words of former presidential media adviser, Dr. Reuben Abati, who in an article while still in office, lashed out at those who once worked in government, describing them as “hypocritical yesterday’s men,” for these governors who once reigned as kings in their various domains (states), enjoying the perks that came with the offices they occupied, life has not been the same since the left office.Leadership Newspapers looks at the lives of all these governors after leaving office in their exclusive report here.
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Like Abati, who said the phones no longer ring since he left office, in a recent article, the situation may be the same for the former governors, some of who now live solitary lives, preferring to stay away from the limelight.
Some of these former governors have been in public office since the return of democracy in 1999, others served as governors for two terms of eight years and some for less. Not much has been seen or heard of these former governors, since they left office on May 29, 2015. While some of them have gone back to the various jobs and businesses they did before coming into public office, others have simply gone underground.

Lamido Relocates, Goes Into Business
Alhaji Sule Lamido served as governor of Jigawa State from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2015. Since he left office on May 29 and after his ordeal with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) barely two months after completing his two terms as governor of Jigawa state, Lamido’s presence in the state capital, Dutse, has reduced considerably.
Sources close to the former governor, who was a staunch supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that he has relocated to Kano State along with his family members, where his business outfits have been established over the years.
Lamido who used to reside in Kano with his family before the creation of Jigawa state, has however maintained the culture of visiting his home town, Bamaina in Birnin Kudu local government and visits his friends and associates during such visits, which are regular. He is one former governor who is still admired by the people of the state for his strides in the social and economic transformation of the state, during his tenure.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP Sunday, Lamido’s former director of press Malam Umar Kiyari, confirmed that his former boss is currently managing his business and is always available at his office in Kano state.

“Sule Lamido is still regarded as a political hero, father and elder whose people still admire and go to for advise, guidance and to draw from his wealth of political knowledge. If you can be opportune to visit his office or his residence in Kano or Jigawa, you will witness how people from within and outside the state still troop there,” he added.
Following the heavy defeat his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last general election, Lamido appears to have taken up the role of reorganising PDP members in Jigawa and boosting their morale and confidence in the party, by heading regular meetings with party leaders and supporters across the state.

Two weeks ago precisely, former governor Lamido was sighted at the state PDP headquarters where he reportedly held meetings with party leaders to discuss how to keep the party alive and strategies on how to give constructive and effective criticism, being an opposition party now.
Despite being in a different political party, Lamido, LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered, has been playing the role of an elder by canvassing support for incumbent governor of the state, Badaru Abubakar and also discouraging his supporters from unnecessary criticism of the new government.
Following Lamido’s sympathy or support for Abubakar, there are speculations in the state that the duo may have signed a pact to surreptitiously include PDP members in the cabinet of the APC-led state government.
Despite his role in restructuring the PDP in the state, it was gathered that he is set to lead hundreds of supporters of the party, including some top officials of his administration, to decamp to the APC, a move some PDP stakeholders in the state said if confirmed, would shock the PDP in the state.

Elechi turns to farming
Unlike other former governors who during their tenures, bought choice houses in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), perhaps to remain close to the seat of power after their tenures, immediate past Ebonyi State governor, Chief Martin Elechi, after handing over to his successor, Chief Dave Umahi at the Abakaliki Township Stadium on May 29, moved down to his Echialike country home where he has remained till date.
Political associates and other friends of the former governor had expected that he would remain in Abakiliki, the state capital but he shocked them when he opted to relocate to the village.
Elechi’s only known building in Abakaliki is situated at No 1, Okpara Street, and is now used by one of his sons to run a cyber cafe.
Known for his simplicity and low life posture during his eight years in office, Elechi maintained his old house in the village which neither received any modern architectural design or any other renovation, LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered.
The former governor, according to information gathered by LEADERSHIP Sunday, has taken to farming since he left office. He is said to have joined his wife, Mrs. Josephine Elechi, in agricultural activities on her farm, JOSEL Shonghai Farms, located behind the popular Hatchery Company in Nkaliki area of the state.
The former governor and wife are now into fishery, piggery, poultry, horticulture and production of fruit drinks. The farm, a large agricultural firm, which also trains people in different agricultural sectors, also distributes one of the best fruit drinks in the South-east region. The product has become a household name in the fruit drink industry in the zone.
Apart from the farm, the former governor who is regarded as one of the biggest rice producers in the state has reportedly, gone back to his rice production business.
Sources close to the governor said the Governor who had wished to live a quiet life with his wife, has been receiving visitors from all works of life, even more than he used to while he was in office, among them his political associates, friends and other members of the society, as well as leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), who on different occasions, visited the former governor to seek his views and wise counsel on the lingering wage crisis between civil servants and the incumbent government.
The former governor has not been sighted at any social or political function since he left office. Apart from his invitation and subsequent visit to the headquarters of the EFCC shortly after he left office, following the over 57 petitions before the commission, against him, alleging misappropriation of funds, he has not been very visible in the public domain. While the encounter with the anti-graft agency lasted, efforts to get a reaction from the former governor to the allegations against him were unsuccessful as he has remained silent over the matter.
According to his political associate, Comrade Chinedu Ogah, Elechi’s choice to remain out of circulation for a while may not be unconnected with his decision not to make any comment that may trigger political debate or controversy in the state, having expressed his displeasure with the election process that saw the emergence of his successor, the current governor.



His relationship with his successor is everything but cordial, as the latter has severally described his administration as corrupt. Most of the projects he embarked on and commissioned have also either been adjudged as uncompleted or inflated.
Similarly, Elechi’s political structures in the state have been dismantled by the present administration, just as his political appointees, particularly the local council caretaker committee chairmen that worked under him, were probed by the state House of Assembly and asked to refund over N1.3 billion allegedly embezzled by them. The House committee indicted the chairmen, a development which forced them to dump the PDP to the APC as they described their indictment as witch-hunting.
Former caretaker committee chairman of Afikpo North local government area under the Elechi administration, Pharmacist Tony Ekoh, accused the present administration of being on a vendetta mission.


Chime Goes Underground
In Enugu State, little or nothing has been heard of the immediate past governor of the state, Sullivan Chime, since he left office, after serving as governor of the state for two terms of four years each.
Shortly after he left office, Chime moved to his village in Udi, but at the time of filing this reports, his whereabouts remained largely unknown, even among his political associates.
Although Chime has not been actively involved in political activities in the state lately, his political structures are still intact, owing largely to the fact that the state is still in control of the party.

Findings by our correspondent in Enugu revealed that the relationship between Chime and his successor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi remains chummy, despite pressures from different quarters. Shortly after Uguwanyi assumed office, he declared that he had no interest in joining issues with his predecessor.
LEADERSHIP Sunday confirmed from sources close to the duo that Ugwuanyi, after assumption of office, paid several solidarity visits to Chime in his village, a development which was received with mixed reactions by the people of the state, many of whom berated the incumbent governor for spending most of his time in Chime’s village, while others commended him for his loyalty.
It was also observed that visitors who used to throng the private residences of Chime and his children while he was in office, have diverted their loyalty to Ugwuanyi who they now visit at his private and official residences, seeking favours.



Political pundits believe that due to Ugwuanyi’s insistence that Chime would remain his leader in and out of office, he may find it difficult to probe his eight year tenure.

Imoke Goes To School
After several years of service to the nation and his people in particular, the immediate past governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, is currently on a vacation even as he prepares to pursue a Ph.D programme in political economy at the famous Harvard University soonest, his former aide has disclosed.
Prior to his eight years stint at the Government House in Calabar, Imoke served as minister of solid minerals and later, minister for power and steel, under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

At the twilight of his administration, especially during the 2015 electioneering period, speculations were rife in the state that Imoke, in an attempt to remain relevant in government after quitting office as governor, was nursing a senatorial ambition. But the former governor had at different fora, dismissed the speculations, and reiterated his resolve to retire to a quiet and private life after serving as governor.

Imoke’s former aide, who spoke with our correspondent in Calabar, on the condition of anonymity, said it would be out of place for anyone to assume that the former governor who is still full of energy, would just sit idly, without engaging in one meaningful venture or the other.

He recalled that before the former governor ventured into politics, he had a stint in the private sector; adding that apart from his intention to further his studies, there were quite a number of undisclosed legitimate businesses he planned to do soonest.

Imoke, who was earlier elected a Senator in 1992, holds a B.A. in International Relations and an LLB from the University of Maryland (USA) and Buckingham (England), respectively, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988.

“At the moment, Senator Imoke is holidaying. There are lots of things he wants to venture into but it is not for public consumption until he ventures into it. For now, he actually wants to go do a Ph.D in political economy in Harvard, but those ones are his personal concern,” the former aide who spoke in a telephone interview stated, describing Imoke as a “leader per excellence,” who continues to play an advisory role to party members in the state, reason for which he said the former governor continued to receive crowds who thronged to his residence after he left office.
“He is used to doing that. Since 1999, he has been the face of consultation in Cross River state. He is the one politicians go to consult; he is used to people coming around. Some people now go to him to seek for favours, may be to talk to Governor Ayade on their behalf; but he has refused to meddle in governance in the state.

“He has allowed Ayade to run his government, to take the blame and credit. He does not want to be a part of the government. According to his words, ‘I don’t want to be a co-pilot in the ship; Ayade should stir the ship’.”

Corroborating the former aide, a former commissioner under Imoke, confirmed also that his former boss was presently resting after a long tenure of services to the nation and Cross River state, in particular, adding that Imoke is now deeply involved in the Bridge Leadership Foundation where he mentors young Nigerians and budding entrepreneurs.

“He has the intention to venture into one or two other areas of endeavour; he has not retired. With the experience he has acquired in the public service, he would likely go into the advisory role,” he said.

Even though Imoke’s former aides have elected to keep mum over his current endeavour, checks by LEADERSHIP Sunday revealed that he may be tilting towards agribusiness. Addressing youths at the Bridge Leadership Foundation’s Career Day Discourse recently, in Calabar, he made pointers in this direction.

“I was listening attentively to Affiong, on how to make it in the private sector because I am going to do private sector and I hope to learn from her experiences. I have been out of the private sector for so long and the sector has evolved in such a manner that I need to take few lessons. So, we can even see that the greatest opportunity for employment is in the SME’s sector. Just listening to her, I knew what I want to do in the future, particularly in agriculture. My farm may be supplying her company with some of her agricultural needs,” the former governor said, at the event, while applauding a presentation.



The Bridge Leadership Foundation, a non-profit leadership and mentoring organisation, was founded in July 2011, by Imoke.

Suswam Maintains Low Profile
Presently, only few people of Benue State, maybe close family members, can categorically tell the whereabouts of the immediate past governor of the food basket state, Gabriel Torwua Suswam.
Suswam, who served two terms of eight years had high hopes of retiring to the Senate at the end of his tenure, to represent the people of Benue North Senatorial District, but was stopped by the one who was occupying the seat, former PDP national chairman, Chief Barnabas Gemade, who after losing the party’s ticket to Suswam, decamped to the APC, on whose platform he was re-elected to the Senate.
Suswam, who hails from Anyiin in Logo local government area of the state became the executive governor in 2007, after serving as a member of the House of Representatives for Ukum/Katsina-Ala/Logo federal constituency from 1999-2007, on the platform of the PDP. Before venturing into politics, he was into private law practice in Abuja, the nation’s capital. He read law at the University of Lagos, Lagos state.
Suswam’s political journey, according to sources in the state, may have come to an abrupt end, having lost his senatorial bid woefully, thus becoming the first governor in the state to vie for an elective position while in the saddle, and lost. This, they said, is in addition to the challenges that plagued his administration, towards the end, among them unpaid salaries, pensions and student bursaries, which they said may also have informed his decision to hand over to his successor, Chief Samuel Ortom, on the eve of May 29, after which he reportedly absconded from the state.
 
Since then, the former governor has not been actively involved in political and social activities in the state. This may not be unconnected with the fact that his political structures have been dismantled by his successor, who left the PDP after failing to clinch the party’s ticket at the governorship primaries, ahead of the 2015 general election and contested the election on the platform of the APC, therefore changing the political composition of the state automatically. The incumbent governor recently inaugurated a committee to probe his predecessor’s administration.

As an astute politician, one would have ordinarily expected Suswam to be visibly in charge and or actively involved in the control of the polity, at least of the opposition PDP, since he is the leader of the party in the state. However, the last that was heard and seen of the former governor was when on August 15, 2015, he made an appearance at the burial of Chief Atoza Ihindan, a chieftain of the PDP who was shot and killed by gunmen in Katsina-Ala town of the state.

In the days after he left office, some associates of the former governor said he was in London, to set base but a few weeks later, there were speculations that he had moved to a permanent residence in Houston, Texas, in the United States of America (USA), where he presently lives with his family.

At the time of this report, it was not clear if Suswam was still in the country just as his next moves remained uncertain. However, one of his political associates said the former governor, having bagged a doctorate degree in law, may either go back to legal practice or to the university as a lecturer.

Meanwhile, checks at some former governor Suswam’s known private residences in Makurdi, the state capital and his hometown, Anyiin, showed that the residences were now a shadow of themselves, as visitors no longer throng them. There was however heavy security presence at the residences.

Dismissing insinuations that Suswam’s political dynasty had been crumbled, one of his ardent supporters assured that the PDP, under Suswam’s leadership, would wrest power from the APC in the state, come 2019.



Shema Eyes PDP National Chairmanship

Former Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema, an aviation Lawyer, who before his assumption to office in 2007 was a national leader of the PDP, has been absent from the public gatherings whether political or social events since the expiration of his tenure in May.
His political allies however say Shema who has his eye on the national chairmanship of his party, the PDP, is quietly working underground towards his ambition.
Shema was one of the leading lights of the then ruling PDP and was very visible in virtually all national discourse as he commanded high degree of respect among his supporters and even colleagues governors.
In the last general election, the then ruling PDP suffered its worst defeat ever, in the state, losing all elective offices from the position of governor down to state assembly, to the APC. Since he left office, Shema has not been seen at any public function. Even some of his close associates, when contacted by LEADERSHIP Sunday, claimed not to have had contact with him for a long time.
The former governor, though having lost the state to the APC, still has a firm grip and control of the PDP machinery in the state where he foisted his dependable ally and astute grassroots politician, Salisu Majigiri, as the acting chairman.

A source close to the former governor told our reporter in Katsina that the former governor made personal business trips to Ukraine and Germany recently.
However, a source in his home town, Dutsinma, who preferred anonymity, said the former governor now between Lagos, Kaduna and Dammagaram in neighbouring Niger Republic. He explained that shortly after leaving office, Shema stayed in his palatial mansion in Dutsinma town but later relocated to Kaduna from where he visits Dutsinma once in a while.

His palatial residence in Dustinma, which used to be a beehive of activities, is now a ghost of its former self as no visitors throng there, obviously because the owner is not around.


Uduaghan Returns To Medical Practice
Immediate past governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, a trained medical practitioner, who recently completed his two terms tenure in the state, according to his former chief press secretary, Sunny Ogefere, took time off to rest after he left office on May 29, but has since returned to the country and to his first profession, medicine.
According to Ogefere, when contacted by LEADERSHIP Sunday, “my Oga (boss) is doing exceedingly well; he did his best in his eight years rule. He has been travelling to London and other countries; he has no problem with Deltans because he finished strong in his eight years rule. He occupies himself currently with lawn tennis and attends to some patients in his private clinic which he will soon take over fully. As a politician, he will always bounce back.”
Uduaghan, whose performance while in office, a cross-section of Delta people rated as abysmal, has like his other colleagues, former governors, maintained a low profile since he left office.
He recently replied his critics when he said “I offered my best in my eight years rule in Delta State, I cannot do everything in the eight years because government is a continuum. I am quite sure that my records as a governor of the state will speak for me. My detractors are speaking on personal hatred and I am not moved by their unprintable words.”

Unconfirmed sources told our correspondent in Asaba, the state capital, that though Uduaghan had maintained a low profile, his decision to stay away from mainstream politics at the moment, had to do with his ambition to become the national chairman of the PDP, an ambition he was quietly working on.
Those in the know said the former governor now maintains contact with only a close circle of friends, particularly those at the Tennis Club in Warri, where he goes to play whenever he visits the town. According to an insider, the governor had regretted having too much trust in his friends while in office and was reported to have told some of those in his inner circle, during a recent meeting in Warri to “beware of friends, your best friend could be your worst enemy.”

Meanwhile, it was also gathered that the former governor is in a running battle with his successor, Ifeanyi Okowa, following Okowa’s alleged refusal to approve payment of N14 billion to the former governor and his wife, for the purported sale to the state government, the Mastercare School buildings, sharing the same fence with the state House of Assembly.
Sources alleged that the deal to sell the buildings to the state government was sealed by the ex-governor at the twilight of his administration. The chief press secretary to Okowa, Charles Aniagwu, said the state government was not ready to pay any bill, adding that the contract or the ‘deal’ was at the verge of being revoked.

Uduaghan’s wife, it was gathered, had resolved to drag the state government to court, over the issue.


Dakingari maintains low profile
The likes of the immediate past governor of Kebbi State, Saidu Nasamu Dakingari will not forget the 2015 polls, especially the change hurricane that swept him and his party, the PDP, out of office in a hurry. The APC like in other states of the federation, recorded landslide victory in all the political offices contested for in the state. In spite of his vantage position as a sitting governor and leader of the party in the state, Dakingari’s senatorial bid hit a brick wall.
LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that Dakingari was one of the governors who did not personally handover to their successors when leaving office on May 29, 2015. During the handover ceremony held at Haliru Abdu Stadium in Birnin Kebbi, Dakingari and his aides, including the Secretary to the Government , Rabiu Kamba were conspicuously absent. There was also no information that the former governor had sent a representative, as was the case with some of his other colleagues, former governors. It was after the master of the ceremony made several announcements, inviting Dakingari or his representative to come forward and handover to his successor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, that Dakingari’s deputy, Alh. Ibrahim Aliyu emerged from the crowd in what many described as a face saving move, and performed the ceremony.

Since he left office, Dakingari has become a shadow of his former self, not socialising with people, even his close associates. LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the former governor who hardly visits Kebbi has not attended any political or social gathering in the state since he left office. He was absent at the marriage ceremony of the daughter of former minister for special duties, Kabiru Tanimu Saraki, held in Kebbi last month. The wedding was attended by nearly all the PDP bigwigs in the state. It was sort of a reunion for them but Dakingari was conspicuously absent.
His private residence in Kebbi which used to be a beehive of activities with visitors thronging there is now deserted. When LEADERSHIP Sunday visited the residence, in the course of this report, only one man, who gave his name as Bello Salau was met. He said he had come to check if the governor was in town and to see if he could get some money from him.
Sources close to the former governor said he now lives in Abuja with his family and visits Kebbi only at night, when it is absolutely necessary to go there, to avoid booing from the people. It was however not certain what the former governor was now engaged in, as a means of livelihood.
People remember their leaders for either their achievements or misdeeds while in office. For the average Kebbi person, Dakingari’s years as governor were akin to the years of the locust. During his years in office, the psyche of the state was low, poverty level was at its lowest, the civil service was in a shambles in addition to a dearth of critical infrastructure, particularly roads in the state capital, Birnin Kebbi, and the rural communities. His dismal performance in office, according to some political watchers, explains why he has withdrawn into his shell since he left office.

Yuguda relocates to Abuja
Former Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda, who ruled the state for eight consecutive years, from 2007 to 2015 was one of the governors who also lost his bid to capture the Bauchi South Senatorial seat in the last elections. His abysmal performance in the election was attributed to factors including the Buhari tsunami that swept across the country, his poor performance in governance, especially in meeting the needs and aspirations of the electorate, and specifically fulfilling his campaign promises.
A nonentity, as the then leading party in the state, PDP referred to him, Mallam Ali Wakili of the APC floored the then incumbent governor. This is in spite of the huge resources Yuguda committed to the election.
When LEADERSHIP Sunday contacted some of the former governor’s aides over what their former boss now does since he left office, they declined comments. It was however gathered from them that Yuguda, who had prior to the 2015 general elections, relocated his family to Abuja, had since joined them, after losing his Senatorial bid. It was also gathered that he visits Bauchi regularly and was there recently to condole with the family of the late emir of Misau, Muhammadu Manga 111.
The former governor was in 2007 elected on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) after his initial party, PDP denied him the ticket. He decamped to the PDP midway into his first tenure, an action that broke the euphoria which greeted his election in 2007.
That singular action of Yuguda’s U-turn into the PDP instantly culminated in the breaking up of the party into three factions, the new PDP formed by Yuguda, the old one, and the splinter group from the party’s hierarchy that became neutral to both the new and old factions.
The scenario weakened the PDP in Bauchi state such that Yuguda as an incumbent governor then nearly lost his re-election bid in 2011. There were no deliberate efforts by the former governor to unite the various factions; resulting in the manner it lost the 2015 elections.



Culled from Leadership Newspapers.