According to a report from the Tribune, political actors in the North are unsettled due to the release of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd) by the Court of Appeal.
Al-Mustapha is expected to control a new political block in the North that will not align itself with the political blocks which Buhari, Babangida or Abdulsalami Abubakar belong to. The reason for this stance is due to his belief that former military leaders were behind his 14 year imprisonment ordeal as a result of his “knowing too much” about circumstances surrounding the death of Chief Moshood Abiola.
According to the report, Northern state governors are falling over themselves to host the retired major, with Kano state government reportedly already announcing plans to that effect.
Tribune quoted a political leader as saying: “Al-Mustapha may be an asset for Jonathan due to his deep knowledge of deeds of many top Northern leaders who are currently opposed to the President .We all know he won’t side with some forces in the North and he may feel the president has solved the 14-year problem that kept him in jail, though the release had nothing to do with the president.”
According to the source, “Jonathan now has a strong voice in Al-Mustapha who knows so much about the President’s opponents. If he allows the young man to open up, then 2015 will take a new character.”