KWANKWASO, OTHERS SHOULD STEP DOWN FOR BUHARI – COL BAWA Category: Inside politics Published on Wednesday, 22 October 2014 05:00 Written by Onimisi Alao, Jos Hits: 243 Former military administrator of Ekiti and Gombe States and governorship aspirant of All Progressives Congress (APC), Col. Mohammed Inuwa Bawa (rtd) , says the masses who trust APC presidential aspirant, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, will help him win in 2015. What do you think of the many northerners aspiring to be president under the APC? The APC leadership has said that the presidential ticket is available to all for contest and many people are interested in contesting. It is all right. The more the merrier. However, for me, no one is as fit for that ticket as General Muhammadu Buhari. He has the genuine personal qualities that everyone attests to. He is a selfless leader. That is why we wish that APC should succeed with Buhari as the president. We will bring down corruption to the minimal level. Corruption is what is halting the development of this country. Do you believe any Nigerian leader can tackle corruption? If government has been very sincere; you know, you look at the person spearheading the motions against corruption and you will realize that we won’t get anywhere. That’s why we believe that with General Buhari coming in as president, corruption will be minimal within the shortest time. We know and like his antecedents. He was a military governor, a minister of petroleum, the head of state, and chairman of defunct PTF. He was busy serving Nigeria; and what has he done for himself? Nothing! He doesn’t own oil well, he doesn’t have a house in Abuja. I know his house in Kaduna. It is not what you will expect for an average Nigerian with his history of big public offices. If the Nigerian factor disrupted his programmes as a military man, what are the guarantees that he can succeed in a democracy? Nigerians have become deeply aware of how shady deals by shady people hurt the country. Nigerians are tired of being a rich country of poor people. Nigerians will rise against the few who do not want them to prosper. The people will join hands with the government of General Buhari to fight people who know only how to grab for themselves at the expense of the generality of Nigerians. This general public whom he favours will always rise for him. Remember the last election (2011). With no money at all, Buhari was able to garner over 12 million votes. 12 million genuine votes! He has the public backing and all that APC needs to defeat the PDP. But what about the many northerners aspiring to be president under the APC? Democratic tenets should be followed if everyone insists on contesting, but we have to look at the qualities of those aspiring before we give our votes. Do you not worry that Buhari and the North could lose out if the APC fails to agree on one candidate that the others will support? I believe there are talks going on in that regard and hopefully a consensus candidate will emerge because that will be better for the party and the North as there will be no bitterness in the end. If no consensus is achieved, then we will have to follow it through and slug it out in the primary, but I believe that it won’t be necessary and something will happen to shore up the chances of the party. Would you suggest what happened in 2011 when northern presidential aspirants were brought together and one of them selected by the Adamu Chiroma group? No, such process is undemocratic. You don’t have to bring it into the open the way it was done as if it was a constitutional and democratic process. The Northern umbrella body, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) can, working behind the scene, get the contestants to consider the variables and step down for the one among them who is most likely to achieve the collective aspiration of the North. Talking about stepping down, if you had opportunity to persuade the aspirants and chart the process, how would you do it? Some of the aspirants need to bid their time. Let’s take Rabiu Kwankwaso. I think that he ought to wait; go first to the Senate and garner a wide national appeal, because his popularity in Kano State won’t avail him much as presidential hopeful. He needs nationwide acceptance for aspiration to the Presidency. But, it’s democracy. If he feels he must take his shot at the presidency now, he is free to go ahead. For Sam Nda Isaiah, my advice applies even more strongly. He is doing well as the publisher of Leadership newspapers; but the presidency is a much different plane altogether. He is just joining politics. I expect that he would start from a lower level. Still about APC, what do you make of the fees that presidential and gubernatorial aspirants have to pay to pick form for their primaries? How would you ask someone to cough up N27.5 million because he wants to contest for the party’s presidential ticket? And the N5.5 million for those aspiring to be governor! These are too exorbitant as nomination fees. If we are not careful, genuine and dedicated people who do not have much money could be alienated and money bags could hijack everything. You have contested for the guber position of your home Kebbi State before. What is your aspiration this time? I’m going for the same position. I’ve declared my intention already and I’m consulting now, particularly over the nomination fee and the possibility of a pruning down of the number of us aspiring to be governor because we are so many. It will help if we can arrive at a consensus candidate.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 05:59:09 +0000
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