Some politicians, including ‘ministers and governors’ under the banner, ‘Buharists’ are working behind the scene to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari recontests the presidency in 2019, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has disclosed.
This is despite claims by Nigeria’s minister
for women affairs, Aisha Alhassan, who said that Mr. Buhari promised to serve
for just one term during a political meeting before the 2015 polls.
“In 2014/2015 he said he was going to run for
only one term to clean up the mess that the (previous) PDP government did in
Nigeria. And I took him for his word that he is not contesting in 2019,” she
was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The minister, popularly called Mama Taraba, had
also during the week stirred the hornets’ nest when she said she would support
the bid of a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar for the presidency, in 2019
even if Mr. Buhari decides to contest.
But on Friday, Mr. El-Rufai while addressing
journalists at the State House after a meeting with President Buhari said
efforts were on to ensure Mr. Buhari’s re-election in 2019 becomes a reality.
He also said Mrs. Alhassan had never been a
supporter of President Buhari.
“We have a group. We have Buharists amongst
governors, ministers. Our group wants to ensure that President Buhari runs in
2019. Our political ideology is to support whatever President Buhari wants to
support. If he chooses not to run, he will tell us which direction to go.
“We are Buharists, we don’t have any personal
ambition, we don’t have any personal aspiration and we are waiting for him to
decide. And we are making every political effort and creating every structure
to achieve this”
When
asked on his opinion on Mrs. Alhassan’s controversial statements in the media
lately, the Kaduna Governor said it was a known fact that Mrs. Alhassan was
never in support of a Buhari presidency but that “she was entitled to her own
opinion.”
The governor said that despite the minister’s
support for Mr. Abubakar during APC primaries in 2014, she was nominated as a
minister “because the President felt she earned the nomination, given the need
to encourage women in politics and her impressive – though failed – run in the
Taraba governorship election.”
“Many in Buhari camp did not support it
(Alhassan’s nomination) but he (Buhari) overruled everybody because that is how
he is. He tries to be inclusive, he considers every Nigerian as his own son or
daughter and he nominated her to be minister.
“Her comments are not surprising, she has never
been a supporter, she has never believed in the Buhari ideology. So, I am not
surprised and as a Nigerian, as an individual, she has every right to express
her views and support whoever she wants.
“But what I am saying is that Nigerians should
not be surprised or shocked. This has always been her position because from
time she has never supported ‘Buharism’ or what Buhari stands for. Being part
of Buhari government is a different thing, because the government sets policies
and if you are a minister, you execute the policies. You can execute those
policies while pursuing a different brand of politics,” the governor said.
– Premium Times
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