My much respected brother Dr. Prince Faruq asked me the following question when I made an unfavorable remark on Buhari and his blind supporters whom I refer to as Buhariyawas: “Barr. Hussaini Hussaini If I may ask you please… 1) Who will you vote comes 2019 election? 2) Do you know any Nigerian politician who can perform better than Buhari, given the economic circumstances?”
My Response goes thus: 1. For the first question I’m currently undecided. 2. For the second question, yes, I know Sir! I know the persons that “may” perform better than Buhari, and I don’t know what people like Kwankwaso will be waiting to take from APC if they are not going to make them candidates.
I also don’t know what Custom boss Hamid Ali, Ahmad Adamu Muazu of Bauchi or other progressive youthful politicians will also be waiting for.
I said that because I studied in Kano while Kwankwaso was the governor of that state and I have seen what he did which can’t be comparable with that of the current Buhari administration. I have seen school buildings in towns and villages, physical development with the city.
I saw children of the poor and unknown been flown outside the country to study and add value to the society. I have seen attention given to education which is a golden policy every reasonable Northern governor will give attention to. As a Bauchian, it’s incontrovertible that Muazu is the best governor that the state has ever had.
This doesn’t mean that I ruled out the possibility of the emergence of a much younger and visionary President of Nigeria. I’m aware that the constitutional duties of Buhari and those of the above former governors differ and I’m not oblivious of the prevailing economic challenges. Notwithstanding, the performance index of Buhari is low as compared to that of Kwankwaso.
Please note that I only concentrated my above analysis on the politicians that I know and I can stand for, and on northern politicians because almost all the parties have zoned the Presidential position to the north. If I may go to the South, people like Ambode are there, though with the mighty Lagos revenue. But as things stand now, it’s either Buhari or Atiku. ‘Hmm… Atiku! Atiku! Aa-Tii-Kuu right?’
Ok! let’s shortly deconstruct the Buhari/Atiku scenario on the question of who may win Sir. You See, the capital of Buhari in politics is indisputably the belief in his integrity and no nonsense attitude towards corruption and impunity while the capital of Atiku is “presumed” to be his “large cache of money and riches”. Recently, Atiku’s alleged company Intel had a problem with Nigerian Ports Authority that may lead it to lose a lot of money.
Atiku, or indirectly Intel took every possible step as business people including lobbying alleged Atiku Boys in the National Assembly to ask NPA to reverse that unfavourable decision. This may simply be seen as Atiku trying hard to protect his money, his political ‘capital’, even though money lost may be recoverable as life goes on.
What is Buhari doing to protect his integrity, his political capital with all the scandals surrounding him and his government? What has he done when his former SGF was accused of corruption? O yes! I remember he sent a letter to the Senate attacking the process of the Senate finding without investigation.
I also remember that the President later succumbed to public pressure to suspend him, replaced him and may be asked him to make a chilling visit to EFCC, though I still missed the day he was charged in court or exonerated by EFFC.
By the way, I am still watching. How about Mainagate? The free for all covered VIP verbal fight in the Federal Executive Council’s Chambers; the recent Ministers dictatorial suspension and reprimands of people that were allegedly trying to prevent corruption?
One may be tempted to ask whether the anti-corruption war is still on course. Talk to me about the recent gunpoint hostile exchange between EFCC and DSS in the quest to arrest or prevent the arrest of former DSS boss on allegation of corruption. What’s the President’s response to that?
I once said in the heat of Mainagate and I still maintain it that if I were Buhari and my twin brother recalled the notorious public court convicted Maina in the manner in which he was, I will surely send him a cool message that will make him regret putting to question my invaluable asset, my integrity. Don’t you forget that Atiku cannot justly be said to be relying on money alone.
No! He has restructuring debate which is a saleable Political commodity especially in the south. He has to his political credit advocacy for youth inclusiveness in governance which is also a buyable commodity to the youth from across the country. Who will win or lose election is a question that I never try to answer outrightly because it’s a divine decision rightfully before God to make.
However, I hope you and your good conscience be the judge on who will win election between an Atiku that has Atikulated his restructuring power; his youth inclusiveness campaign; his disgruntled APC members; disappointed Nigerians; and of course his money power or course his “Karfin arziki”, as Late Dankwairo chose to call it; and a Buhari that failed to integrate his integrity and has acted nonchalantly to some serious issues, having in your mind the fact that it’s not only the people of Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Adamawa or Plateau that will vote, but the entire people of Nigeria.
It is true that Atiku “may” not be better than Buhari but if the equation continues unchanged, there is danger that Buhari must not ignore. At best, there may be an unprecedented political apathy in 2019 across the country.
In conclusion, what will hamper the growth of the Nigerian economy other than alleged corruption been perpetrated without serious commitment to stop it. . What’s more dangerous to the economy than the justification of Sen. Shehu Sanian insecticide/ deodorant theory, or the no serious attention given to education by the current administration’s successive budgets that has proven to be ineffective to human capital development?
I have written several published and unpublished articles in support of President Buhari’s war on corruption and one of them is “Stolen Money is a coward” published by Daily Trust and other online news outlets, but as things stand now, I’m not impressed, though I don’t rule out seeing the President change.
President Buhari may choose to listen to our views as the true supporters of his ideology and successes or he may listen to drums and chants of the Buhariyawas who encourage him to live in his past glories. But the President must know that the lesson of Jonathan’s loss is not far away. Thank you Doc Hussaini is a legal practitioner based in Abuja
