* Renowned northeast politician, renounced, assassinated in southeast
The Periscope reporter
Barr. Ahmadu Ali Gulak, former Hon. Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, northeast Nigeria, former Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President and former Special Adviser Political to President Goodluck Jonathan, was heinously murdered – with “hideous cruelty” – by unknown but suspected hired assassins in Owerri, the Imo state capital southeast Nigeria.
Gulak’s assassination is confirmed by Dr. Umar Ardo via his Facebook page. It reads:
“Inna lillahi wa inna illaihi rajiuun. Allahu Akbar.
“I just confirmed the sad and gruesome death of my friend and classmate, the former Hon. Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, former Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President and former Special Adviser Political to President Goodluck Jonathan, Barr. Ahmadu Ali Gulak. Barr Gulak was said to have been killed last night by unknown gunmen in Owerri, IMO State.
“May Allah (SWT) forgive his sins, bless his soul and reward his good deeds with Aljannah on the Day of Resurrection. May Allah (SWT) also give all his children, relatives, friends and loved ones, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. And may Allah (SWT) bless us with faithful deaths when it is our turn to die. Ameen.
“Please let all and sundry accept my heartfelt sympathy over this personal painful experience even as I draw solace that he lived a good, helpful and productive life, well illustrated by the fact that he died while in service of his dear country. This is one death too many! May God Almighty save our fatherland. Ameen”.
Recall that Gulak has in 2018 revealed how he narrowly escaped from being kidnapped and perhaps assassinated after having diplomatically, rejected a bribe of two million dollars to manipulate the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Imo state.
The Gulak’s revelation, sourced from the Vanguard, published in the Cable of November 10, 2018 reads:
“Gulak: I was offered $2 million to manipulate Imo guber primary
“Ahmed Gulak says he was offered bribe to manipulate the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Imo.
“The APC chieftain was the chairman of the panel that oversaw the exercise.
“Gulak, a former adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, says an unnamed person offered him $2 million and a private jet flight to Imo state before the primary began.
“In an interview with Vanguard, Gulak told of how he was nearly “kidnapped” alongside members of the panel when they arrived Imo.
“…Even before I went to Imo state, I was offered a private jet to take me to Imo state but I refused because I didn’t want to be compromised,” he was quoted as saying.
“I refused the private jet and even the tempting offer made to me, very tempting, we are talking about two million dollars here, which I refused.
“Although, I tried to persuade them that I was going to do what is needful, free and fair primaries. Every stakeholder must be involved.
“Immediately we landed at the airport, that was where the problem started. They wanted to kidnap every member and only God knows where they wanted to take us to, which I refused’.
“The party’s national working committee (NWC) endorsed Hope Uzodimma, senator representing Imo west, as its governorship flag bearer, a decision Rochas Okorocha, governor of the state, is kicking against.
“Okorocha maintains that Uche Nwosu, his son-in-law, is the authentic winner of the primary.
“Gulak also alleged that the governor forced members of the electoral panel to declare Nwosu winner of the primary.
“Nwosu had been announced winner before the NWC cancelled the exercise.
“According to Gulak, ‘after the collation, few others and myself escaped from where we would have been conscripted. The governor himself came to take everybody in the hotel but before he arrived, about four of us escaped and he moved other members including the secretary.
“He took them to government house and they read a prepared speech declaring his son in-law the winner of that exercise. But I had already left Owerri for Abuja where I submitted my result’.
“The outcome of the primary election is still being contested in court”.
(The Cable)
Gulak’s revelation, so indicting as it was, is to this day, not refuted as mere allegation lacking justifiable evidence.
Who could have been the brain(s) behind Gulak’s assassination four years later, in Imo?
Could Gulak’s murder be a spillover of the previous, rather costly attempt at his integrity, political prowess, unbiased mediation, courageous delegated task and life?
The critical stakeholders in Adamawa state, family and friends have jointly called for a thorough investigation into the assassination of Gulak and the culprits be brought to burial book.
“One can only imagine what could have happened if it were the other way round.
“If it were the prominent politician from Imo state, the southeast that is gruesomely murdered in Adamawa, the northeast,” has been the popular reflection in Yola.