SOME eminent Nigerians of northern extraction evaluated the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari in the light of recent calls on him to seek re-election by some northern governors and declared that the President had not done enough.
This verdict which was made by a Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed and Chairman of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum,AYCF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, in a chat with Saturday Vanguard, came as the National President of Arewa Youths Forum Alhaji Gambo Gujunju told Saturday Vanguard that the North was not aware of the President’s perceived second term ambition.
He also said the President’s anti-corruption fight was losing steam, especially as a result of what many considered the inaction towards the report of the panel that investigated a former Secretary to the Federal Government and ex-Director General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Oke.
However, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, last Thursday, absolved the President of under-performance allegations, saying the government had done well on economic recovery, anti-corruption, and security.
Oyegun said this when the Ambassador/Head of the Delegation of the European Union EU to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ketil Karlsen visited him in Abuja.
He said:‘’The President Muhammadu Buhari administration since assumption of office in May 2015 has focused on delivering on election promises, primarily on economic recovery, anti-corruption, and security.”
No evidence to reward someone with another term—Junaid
On his part, Junaid Said: “I have not seen evidence as a Nigerian, who goes to the market that the life of the average Nigerian is getting better. It is either these governors have their ambition or maybe they are beginning to think of what they can do.
‘’They are making noise as if 2019 is achievable on the pages of Newspapers. I have no objection to any politician having an ambition or a politician who is trying to play games with our own situation. In the case of APC, we have not seen any clear sign that they are serious or they mean business.
There was a meeting of the leaders of the party in Ibadan, where Bisi Akande said the candidacy of their party in 2019 is an open one. That is a fair comment but for a Nigerian or an African, who is in power to come to say that he is not going to contest, I don’t know. That is not African.
‘’But as far as I am concerned, I have not seen rational evidence to the effect that somebody has achieved and therefore, deserves to be repaid with another term.
Politics has never been a rational game in Nigeria. Sometimes people vote in Nigeria because of primordial sentiment and geopolitics. It is unfortunate, it stifles our democracy and makes it impossible to have a national dialogue.
I have known Buhari for more than 47 years
‘’Flying a kite is a legitimate trick. I have known Buhari for more than 47 years. I knew him in 1967 during the civil war. I think if Buhari were to fly a kite about re-election, I don’t think he would do it with the governors of Kogi and Benue states.
There are governors who are presumably close to Buhari. They are people like Elrufai and if he made such a statement, it could be credible.
The governor of Katsina State could be credible because that is Buhari’s home state. Another governor is the governor of Zamfara State, who is close to him. If they were the people, who made the statement, it deserves to be taken seriously.
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