THE CANDIDATE CAMPAIGNING WITH A RESIGNATION LETTER By Suleman Ahmad Tudu I thought we had seen every kind of politics in this country. I thought we had seen every style of campaign and promise. But I was wrong. Zamfara State is about to see something entirely new: a governorship candidate who is not campaigning with a blueprint but with a resignation letter. A few days ago, the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the state, Senator Kabir Garba Marafa, granted an interview to DCL Hausa. In the interview, he made a declaration that was both curious and laughable. He boasted that if he fails to tackle Zamfara's decade-long security challenges within 24 months, he will resign! On the surface, the declaration sounds bold. It sounds like accountability. But if you listen to the full interview, you will realize that it has nothing to do with boldness but a clear confession that he has no plan to govern Zamfara. Yet he needs the power anyway. The journalists gave Marafa a chance to sell his candidacy by asking a simple and fair question in the interest of accountability: What are your plans to address the long-standing security challenges? Instead of seizing the opportunity to convince Zamfarawa with a clear plan, he unfortunately fumbled and rambled. He dodged the question entirely because he had no roadmap. Just, "I will resign after two years if I fail.” Let us think about it. What does it mean to ask people to vote for you without telling them how you intend to make their lives better? This is akin to hiring a builder who has no floor plan. You ask him, "Where is your plan for my house?" He replies, "Don't worry about a plan. Just give me the contract. If I fail to build you a good house in half the agreed time, I will abandon the site and leave.” That is exactly the gamble Senator Marafa is offering Zamfara. To make it worse, Marafa tried to present his record of resignation as a credential. He reminded us how he resigned in 2008 as Commissioner for Education because he could not manage some few “powerful” school principals. By his own account, he redeployed the principals, even without the Governor's prior consent — an act of clear insubordination — and when the decision was reversed or challenged, he decided to arrogantly and cowardly walk away… I wonder how someone who could not manage a few school administrators without quitting wants to manage a whole complex State like Zamfara? Senator Marafa needs to understand that Leadership is not about running away when a problem gets tough. It is about summoning the courage and determination to stay, think outside the box, and solve even the seemingly insurmountable challenges. Nobody in history has ever fixed any problem by threatening to resign. Resignation is not a leadership strategy, it is a final admission of failure. The good people of Zamfara cannot gamble their future on trial-and-error experiments. What we need is a leader who is fully prepared, has a viable plan and a track record of solving complex problems– not someone who runs away from them. That is where Governor Dauda Lawal has distinguished himself and stands ahead. In 2022, Governor Lawal made history as the first and only governorship candidate ever in the political history of Zamfara State to unveil and publish a campaign manifesto. The document clearly outlines his six-point rescue agenda, which continues to define the direction of his administration: Security, Agriculture, Education, Healthcare, Economy, and Empowerment. He did not conceal his plans because he understands our problems, believes in his capacity to solve them, and believes the people of Zamfara deserve a basis for holding their leaders accountable. The manifesto is still publicly available. You can find a copy and see for yourself how far Governor Lawal has gone in implementing it. Governor Lawal did not resign when he inherited an insecure Zamfara. Instead, he took action.