Yesterday, the highly combative political adviser to the president, Ahmed Gulak was sacked. No reason was given for his sack in the statement released by the president’s spokesman, Reuben Abati.
As expected when reasons are not given for actions, a speculation industry takes off.
There are two main camps giving different reasons for the sack of Gulak. One group argues that Gulak’s sack was a result of his interference in the politics of some states, most notably that of Akwa Ibom. Gulak, who is the coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan Support Group, launched the South South office in Akwa Ibom, where he hobnobbed with opponents of the state governor, Godswill Akpabio. The event was mostly attended by PDP members in Akwa Ibom who were in a different camp from that of the state governor who is an ally of Pres. Jonathan. The PDP leadership in Akwa Ibom as well as Gov. Akpabio, protested against Gulak’s intereference in the affairs of the State.
According to a source, “It is true; the man had to go because there have been so many unpleasant reports about him and things cannot be allowed to go on this way, especially when we are approaching a crucial moment of our political life. With regards to the reason for the president’s action, I am not the president neither am I his spokesman; but from the little I could deduce from the president’s action, the man (president) may have succumbed to the pressure of the PDP governors who have been complaining for a long time about the activities of Gulak, especially his utterances which have been very indecorous to the embarrassment of even the president at times.
“The matter was even raised at the last meeting the president had with the PDP governors and that may have been the real reason for Gulak’s exit, because some governors on the party’s platform were very bitter that Gulak was becoming too involved in internal state politics. You know that the struggle for political space can take form,” he said.
However former FCT minister, Nasir El-rufai is making seperate claims on the sack of Gulak. El-rufai shared among his network on social media that Gulak’s sack had nothing to do with the clash with the Akwa Ibom governor, but was part of a deliberate strategy by the president to make him the coordinator of the president’s reelection campaign.
El-rufai claimed that he received his info from an unnamed Aso Rock source who told him that it was not a sack but “a promotion! Ahmed Gulak will resurface soon as the Director-General of the GEJ-Sambo 2015 Campaign Organization.” El-Rufai also claimed that former Sokoto governor, Attahiru Bafarawa will replace Gulak as the president’s political adviser. “Gulak will be joining an illustrious and dedicated team of proven GEJ died-hards including Stella Oduah, Tanko Yakasai, Ibrahim Shekarau, Diezani Allison-Madueke, Wendell Simlin (aka Reno Omokri, Asari Dokubo, Government Tompolo, Edwin Clark and Attahiru Bafarawa in the Transformation Campaign Team 2015.”
Questions remain over El-Rufai’s claims with some asking why the president had to sack Gulak first instead of just announcing him as the DG of his campaign organisation.
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