When
President Muhammadu Buhari said in his inauguration speech that: “I belong to
everybody and I belong to nobody”, I was
very impressed and knew that our democracy would be reborn and nurtured by
leaders whose spirits of patriotism for
Nigeria never lingered despite how most unpatriotic leaders projected their
personal interests above the collective interest of Nigerians.
I don’t blame the Clerk for refusing to shift the inauguration time which President Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu said Buhari requested, but I blame APC because since 1999, no clerk has ever shifted the National Assembly inauguration time. I blame APC for not putting its house in order on time knowing very well that PDP was looking for the slightest opportunity to turn things around to their advantage.
I
urge APC to wake up and make sure that they will be wiser in the inauguration
of the 9th National Assembly in 2019. As for the 8th
National Assembly, they should just accept their mistake and move Nigeria
forward.
Despite
that fact that Saraki and Dogara are leaders that I doubt their ability to
fight for the common good and promote stability in an environment that yearns
for it, I am very glad that Buhari has accepted to work with them despite
enormous pressures on him from APC leaders to do otherwise.
Since
1999 when I started observing Nigerian politics at the national level, this is
the first time the president refused to interfere in the National Assembly
leadership election.
I
know that what Saraki and Dogara did was not in line with the decision of APC
which I personally didn’t support their actions, but since a constitutional
process was followed in the issue just as Buhari has admitted, APC Senators and
members of House of Representatives should just resolved the crisis and not
allow this to have a tremendous negative effect on Buhari’ government.
Both
Saraki and Dogara among others who defected from PDP to APC contributed their
best to the party. Buhari has never won in Kwara state in all his previous
elections nor did ACN or ANPP ever won any senate election in the state. Saraki
worked very hard to give APC three senators plus a Governor and still some
people see him as an outcast because he asked to be allowed to become the Senate
President. Politics is a game not a war and party should treat all its members
as equal. APC is very strong in government today because of most of those who
defected from PDP and joined the party.
The
question I always ask is if People like, Tambuwal, Amaechi, Atiku, Saraki,
Gemade and others never joined APC, would the party be where it is today? My
answer is no. So PDP’s “blood” still flows in APC.
I
blame the 51 APC Senators for not being smart enough which led to emergence of
Saraki as Senate President. They slacked in their schemes and Saraki took that
opportunity. I think next time they should be wiser. This should teach them a
lesson that the game of politics is played and won by those who are faster than
their shadow.
Even
if PDP had all the Senators and House of Representatives members, they would
not be as corrupt as they were in the government of Jonathan because Buhari
will not allow the National Assembly to promote corruption with impunity like
they did during the Jonathan’s era. Both PDP and APC Senators should ensure
that they do their best for the interest of Nigerians because Nigerians are
watching and some have already started dusting their Permanent Voter’s Card
ahead of 2019 if anybody messes up with issues that should benefit Nigerians.
I
am strongly believe that Buhari will make Nigeria the kind of country we will
always love.
I
urge Buhari not to interfere with the activities of National Assembly except in
issues that are not for the common good. He should ensure the rule of law and
allow each arm of government to have its independence. If this is done, “I
belong to everybody and I belong to nobody” philosophy will stand the test of
time.
I
am proud to be associated with Buhari’s ideology and philosophy of leadership.
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