Asaba PDP Fight: Enough of this Jonathan Special Adviser’s Uncouth Demeanor

Ordinarily, Hajia Mariam Ali’s public show of shame in Asaba on Friday 11 July, 2015 would have been dismissed as one of the familiar scenes by PDP privileged women at political events but for her person and position in Jonathan’s cabinet.

What on earth could have made Hajia Mariam Ali loose her cool to raise her hand to slap the Delta State PDP chairman, Peter Nwaoboshi twice in a public function if not that the woman was uncouth?

The Asaba show of shame was not the first for Mrs Ali a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, a position she obviously got because she is the wife of the former BoT chairman, Senator Ahmadu Ali. In 2011, she had in a similar fashion, in the company of her daughters, assaulted officials of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council at their Wuse Zone 6 office, for marking her property in Asokoro for demolition. Instead of seeking for explanation, she came to beat up the chairman and other officials of the agency for daring to say she was not permitted to build at the site. How long can this woman who is not even very young in age continue and be tolerated with this barrack tendency.

It is unbecoming of a person in the caliber of a Special Adviser on Intergovernmental Affairs to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria beat up people publicly just because she and her husband are close to the Presidency. Why is it that most people connected to Jonathan either as aides or ‘close neighbor-neighbors’ either had rough antecedents or have to develop such within a very short time of their association with the president? Can you imagine a woman having such an attitude especially a Muslim woman who was supposed to be on Ramadan fasting as her name Miriam connotes?

From her disposition, Hajia Mariam Ali seemed to have been nursing a bitter feeling towards the Delta state PDP chairman who she sees as a threat to her ambition of becoming the senator representing Delta North Senatorial district, a post also being eyed by Nwaoboshi but was this enough for her to loose decency to slap someone in the caliber of a state chairman of her party, PDP?

The political interpretations to the skirmishes though may have been an undertone, does not matter here at all. Yes, Ali and Nwaoboshi hail from Delta North. Two of them also had declared interest in the Senatorial seat currently occupied by Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who is seeking the gubernatorial ticket of the party. But the crux of the matter here bothers on public misconduct of somebody who should carry herself with honour and glory. In the first instance Mariam Ali is a Kogi woman pure and simple. You can’t be occupying political position in Kogi your husband’s place and at the same want to occupy position in Delta where you were born. It doesn’t just add up well.

Let’s even look at the incident at the Asaba event: in the first instance, Mrs Ali was not invited to the occasion but she came because she is the wife of the former BoT chairman which gave her ticket to become a member of the PDP board. Her presence despite not being invited as she said was because as a Board of Trustee member of the party, she had been, on several occasions, ‘sidelined’ by the state party chairman and others. Haba Madam!

Her words: “A PDP stakeholders’ meeting was held in Abuja and as a Board member, I was deliberately not invited and just today, another stakeholders’ meeting was held at the state party secretariat. The same time the same thing happened, I was not informed until someone called me that since I am in town, it will be nice and wise for me to attend, and I went. On arrival, I saw two vacant seats and I quietly seated [myself] in one of them after I had earlier protested that no seat was reserved for me on the high table despite my status as a national leader of the party.”

From her account as reported, it was obvious Mrs Ahmadu Ali came to the venue of the event to fight anybody who challenges her particularly the state chairman who she already has marked as an enemy to be dealt with. This embarrassment would have been avoided if the President’s aide conducted herself well. Does it occur to Mrs Ali that you disrespect yourself and essence when you go to where you are not invited?  Where is your honour Enyih Nnee?

Judging even from her own statement, Madam was not invited for obvious reasons why then going to hijack the seat labeled and meant for an invited guest. Why did Mrs Ali not seat outside the high table until someone recognizes her and properly arrange a honourable place for her at the high table? As said, Mrs Ali’s unnecessary show –off landed her in trouble as she gate-crashed not only to the event but into the high table.

Then when the security agents approached her to vacate the seat because it was meant for the state’s deputy governor, Prof Amos Utuama it was expected she respect herself and honourably ask for where to seat but no, she is a member of PDP board and whether  invited or not to an event, she always has the right to attend. Haba, Madam!

Members of the party and top officials the Delta state government had gathered at the secretariat to witness the formal presentation of official vehicles to the chairmen of the party in the 25 local councils of the state. So it was purely a state function so if you were not invited as a national official, the honourable thing would have been not to even show up there. But no, Madam must come and she must sit at the high table because she is the lioness of the tribe of Asaba. Abeg make all of una go sit down for ground!