Buhari: Nigeria May Collapse if PDP Remains in Power in 2015
Gen. Mohammadu Buhari
By John Shiklam in Kaduna
Former military Head of State and a Presidential aspirant under the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, declared on Saturday that Nigeria may go down the drain if the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is re-elected again for another term of four years in 2015.
Also, governor of Borno state, Alhaji Kasim Shettima, has cautioned individuals within the APC not to allow their aspirations to jeopardise the collective resolve to salvage the country.
Buhari and the governor were speaking at the Northern stakeholders’ meeting of the APC, which held in Kaduna. However, sources told THISDAY that the meeting was convened as part of the steps towards producing a consensus candidate for the 2015 presidential election.
The three presidential aspirants including Governor Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso of Kano state were at the meeting, which was attended by all the governors of Borno, Yobe and Zamfara states as well as APC members of the National Assembly from the north.
Buhari said Nigerians are tired of incompetent leadership, adding that the APC was the only hope for salvaging the country from bad governance.
“Every Nigerian is tired of incompetent leadership; another four years of PDP will send this country down the drain,” he said, adding that Nigerians were being killed on a daily basis without the government doing much to protect them.
Buhari recalled his failed attempts to be President on three occasions and urged party leaders to ensure that the people are not disenfranchised in the forthcoming election.
“I tried to be a President three times; three times I failed. I challenged the election up to the Supreme Court. Who were the judges of the Supreme Court? What were their decisions? The most interesting one was in 2007 where three of the seven-man panel of judges said the election was not done according to the law.”
He added “this time around we have to be extremely careful because whether we like it or not, 2015 would be a year of extreme concern for this country. The reason being that now, we must try to make sure INEC is well prepared.”
He charged party leaders to embark on voter mobilisation, adding “if we don't make the necessary sacrifice as leaders, to give our supporters the courage to insist on the right thing to be done, we will not make progress.”
Buhari, who spoke on behalf of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who was also present at the meeting ,said: “if we are in a position to make a difference, we have to make a difference this year. We must make sure that this permanent voter’s card is done properly. Secondly, we must persuade voters in our constituencies to believe us and accept us.”
However, speaking on behalf of the APC governors who also attended the meeting, governor Shettima urged those aspiring to contest for the 2015 elections to avoid anything that will be a setback to the electoral chances of the party.
“We must not fight over political offices within the party. We must not allow our aspirations as individuals to jeopardise our collective resolve to salvage the country. We have the number and we are in the position to make or mar the future of generations yet unborn in this country”, he added.
He further called on northerners to summon courage and come together, to salvage the country, irrespective of their religion and ethnicity differences as Nigerians go into another round of election next year.
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