Only Nigerians will decide Atiku, Obi’s fate as PDP flag bearer in 2027 – Bafarawa

Former Sokoto State governor Attahiru Bafarawa speaks with CHUKWUDI AKASIKE about the nation’s democracy and economic situation, among other issues.

Things appear to be terrible in the country, and most people are struggling to feed themselves again. Why is this so?

When leaders do not commit to caring for their followers, things are likely to be challenging.

Today’s leaders exist just for their own benefit, with little regard for others.

The only time they think about anybody is the time of an election. So, when there’s no justice, there’s no peace and when there’s no peace there’s a problem. The leaders of today are always thinking of themselves. There’s no commitment to their country’s development or anybody else. This is why things are difficult.

Some people may say you’re saying so because the political party in power isn’t the political party you belong to. How will you react to this?

I’m Nigerian and I can be in any political party where I think things will be better. So, it’s not a question of being in the opposition. However, if there’s no opposition, there’s no democracy. That’s why Nigerian democracy is dying because there’s no strong opposition as the political parties, ruling parties, and opposition parties are all from the same father and mother. These opposition and ruling parties are not doing what they’re supposed to do. It’s for the opposition parties to check the excesses of the ruling parties.

At the end of the day, most politicians are businessmen; so, they join politics for the sake of business. It’s just a rotational thing. If you look at the All Progressives Congress, 80 per cent of its members are from the Peoples Democratic Party. So, what’s different is just the name, but they are the same people with the same beliefs. It’s not a question of party now; it’s a question of the country. The people are suffering because there’s no umpire in the game.

The political parties are the umpires for running democracy. The political parties in the opposition must ensure the ruling party sits up and does the right thing for the people. Today, if you’re the president, you’ll become the national chairman of the party, and the governor will be the chairman of his party at the state level. That’s not the way things should be because whoever joins a political party is an agent of that party.

This is because each political party has its manifesto. There’s nothing new and the essence is that when they see that the president, who is seen as the leader of the party isn’t doing well, they go back to their manifesto and remind him that he should not forget the content of the party’s manifesto. I say this because the manifesto is the guide for the ruling party to achieve its aim for the people. The Independent National Electoral Commission is not looking at all these. If what INEC is doing is selection, then the election is selection.

Why did you say the election is selection?

If the leadership of INEC says this is what we’re doing today and there’s no going back. Then tomorrow, the same thing it said would be done was not being done. Isn’t that going away from the promise made? When that is the case, everything will become a total mess. INEC must supervise political parties, most especially the ruling party, because they have submitted their constitution and manifesto, which is what they’re going to do for the people. So, INEC must supervise the activities of the political parties and the political parties must supervise their electoral officers.

You once said that President Bola Tinubu should probe former President Muhammadu Buhari if he wanted to succeed. Do you still stand by this statement?

I still want the Buhari administration to be probed because the mess we are in is caused by Buhari. The probe of the immediate past administration is long overdue, and I think President Tinubu should begin to think along that line, otherwise, if he fails to do so, God will hold him responsible for not doing his job.

How can probing the Buhari administration change the economy and current situation for Nigerians who are facing tough times?

At least, we heard that Buhari borrowed billions and trillions of naira. So, the current administration must find out what these funds were used for. Have they used it for the right things or not? These are the things the current administration should find out. Nigerians need to know all these.

But what quick measures can be taken to ameliorate the pain the people are going through as a result of the economic downturn since palliative failed to solve the problem?

President Tinubu just announced the removal of fuel subsidy; it was the Buhari government that removed the fuel subsidy. Therefore, if it was Tinubu who prepared the removal of fuel subsidy, he would’ve used his common sense to find a solution. But he fell into a trap set by the Buhari administration. That’s why he is now hooked. If he’s the one who had the knowledge and vision of removing the subsidy, he would’ve come out with some options to do it. During Abacha’s era, when he had fuel money, he created the Petroleum Trust Fund and Buhari was head of the fund.

So, Buhari knows the benefits of surplus oil money and when Abacha was getting the surplus, he was putting the money in the PTF. At least, Buhari should’ve copied from what a military leader had done. Being a military leader and politician, he should have done something better than everybody. What (Chief Olusegun) Obasanjo did as a President remains the best so far. I still believe that he (Obasanjo) is the best leader from 1999 to date. I’m not talking about the era of Awolowo and Co. Obasanjo’s administration tried its best for Nigerians.

State governments are now receiving about triple what they used to get as monthly revenue in the past following the removal of fuel subsidy. But most of them haven’t been able to perform to the people’s expectations. What’s your advice for them?

It’s just one year that they’re in office. When we talk about the amount they have been receiving, what’s the market saying now? You should consider that the money is just huge, and it’s quantity, not quality as the money has no strong value. We shouldn’t judge them on what they (state governments) are receiving because of the situation they found themselves in because of the situation created by Buhari.

If the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, comes back to the PDP, who between him and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar should be the flag bearer of the party in 2027

The people, Nigerians will decide who the flag bearer will be.

(Credit: Punch)