The internet has been agog with stomach-wrenching revelations from Hon. Awah Alhassan, a former supporter of Alh. Murtala Yakubu Ajaka (Muri Ajaka). In a series of videos, she has narrated how she feels betrayed by her former principal and how she lost two sons in the course of her political struggles.
Should we pity her, or should we criticise her ignominious outbursts? My answer is neither. Rather, we should examine the issues dispassionately, separate emotions from facts, and draw the necessary lessons.
First, we must sympathise with Hon. Awah over the loss of her children. Losing a child is one of the most painful experiences any parent can endure. No parent should ever have to go through such an ordeal. However, one question begs an answer. Why does she appear more pained by the alleged blackmail from members of her political camp than by the loss of her children?
This is not to diminish her grief. Rather, it is to encourage a deeper reflection on the circumstances surrounding these tragic events.
Here is a nursing mother who took an infant, less than a year old, along on campaign trails under extremely harsh conditions. That, in my view, was a grave misjudgment. As parents, we owe our children a duty of care, and that responsibility begins with making conscious decisions about when to have children and how best to raise them. Once children are born, providing them with a safe and healthy environment must take priority.
Hon. Awah was away from home for several days, leaving other young children who needed maternal care behind. During this period, she moved through dusty roads and muddy terrain, endured exposure to scorching sun and heavy rains, crowded vehicles and packed rallies, all while carrying an infant.
Such conditions can expose a child to considerable health risks. Sadly, the infant died, and another child, aged eight, also passed away.
While we can’t say that these circumstances alone caused the deaths. Nevertheless, the situation raises important questions about parental responsibility, risk assessment, and the sacrifices people make in the pursuit of political relevance.
If we set emotions aside and examine the situation critically, one could argue that Hon. Awah might have been better off staying at home to care for her children and returning to active politics when circumstances permitted. Political struggles can wait. The lives and well-being of our children should never be treated as secondary to political ambition.
Did Muri Really Abandon Hon. Awah?
I watched her videos, from Part One to Part Five. Throughout the series, she repeatedly complained that Muri had never given her a dime and that she had suffered immensely without receiving anything in return.
Yet, in the course of her revelations, she acknowledged receiving ₦1.5 million in business support from Muri and another ₦1 million to help her husband secure a job.
That amounts to ₦2.5 million in support to a grassroots politician operating at the ward level.
Let us put this into perspective. Suppose Muri were to give ₦2.5 million to every woman leader in every ward across the state. How much would that amount to? And what happens when we add youth leaders, party executives, elders, community stakeholders, and other support groups to the equation?
Even a sitting governor would have to think carefully before committing such a substantial amount of money to individual political supporters. Political loyalty does not automatically translate into an unlimited financial obligation, and no politician can realistically meet every demand from every supporter.
Not that ₦2.5 million is enough to compensate her sacrifices. Nor does it mean that Muri is blameless. It simply means that we must be fair in our assessment of the claims being made.
Does Muri Have His Own Share of the Blame?
Absolutely!
In 2023, many people across Kogi State, myself included, placed our lives on the line in the struggle to defend Muri’s mandate. We invested our time, resources, energy, and, personal safety in a political cause we believed in.
Then came 2026, when Muri made the move to return to the APC, his original party and our original party (some of us).
The move reportedly came in the dead of the night, without adequate consultation with many of the supporters who had stood firmly by him during the 2023 political struggle.
We can’t blame him for defecting. Political realignments are part of democracy, and every politician has the right to make personal political decisions. However, leadership goes beyond making decisions for oneself. It also requires considering the consequences of those decisions for the people who have invested their hopes and loyalty in one’s political journey.
Muri should have taken a moment to ask himself a fundamental question. What happens to the thousands of supporters who stood by me when I make this move?
Today, we appear to have a situation in which some Muri’s political family has been left hanging. The existing APC structure does not seem to trust them enough to accommodate them fully, while Muri himself appears to be doing little to facilitate their integration into the party’s existing structure.
That is where the real leadership question lies.
You cannot build a political movement on the sacrifices of ordinary people, make a major political realignment, and then expect those people to figure out their place in the new arrangement on their own. If their loyalty mattered during the struggle, their political future should matter after the struggle.
Hon. Awah Deserves Fairness, Not Humiliation
In fairness, Hon. Awah has made significant sacrifices in her political journey. Whatever disagreements that may exist, the least her former political associates can do is acknowledge her contributions and allow her to retain the political structure she has built.
Smearing her publicly, discrediting her efforts, and allegedly attempting to instigate a coup within her women’s group amount to taking political ingratitude to another level.
Politics should not be an arena where people are celebrated when they are useful and discarded when they become inconvenience. Hon. Awah contributed to building the movement, she deserves to be treated with dignity, even if her relationship with its leadership has broken down.
Muri may not be able to satisfy every demand, but he can demonstrate leadership by ensuring that those who stood by him are not needlessly humiliated or abandoned.
My Advice to Hon. Awah and Other Women in Politics
My advice is simple, if you have young children and lack the financial resources to engage reliable caregivers to support you, please consider stepping back from the demands of active politics until your children are old enough to be more independent.
There is no political victory worth the avoidable suffering of a child. No political leader, party, or movement should demand sacrifices that compromise the safety and well-being of one’s family.
Finally, we must learn to examine painful experiences critically rather than attribute every misfortune to spiritual attacks. Faith has its place, but so do reason, responsibility, and the willingness to learn from circumstances.
Sometimes, the answers we seek are not hidden in the spiritual realm. Sometimes, they lie in the decisions we make, the risks we take, and the priorities we set.
Politics will come and go. Political allies will change sides. Party structures will rise and fall. But our children deserve our protection, our attention, and our best judgment.
~ Hon. Shuaibu Onakpa
