The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum has commended former president
Olusegun Obasanjo’s scathing letter to President Muhammadu Buhari not to
contest in the 2019 Presidential election.
While speaking in an interview with Vanguard in Kaduna, the
president of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima
said what former President Olusegun said is what they had seen long ago
and had been drawing the president’s attention to.
Also speaking, the president of Arewa Youths Forum, Alhaji Gambo
Ibrahim Gujungu said President Obasanjo spoke the minds of dispassionate
Nigerians, urging preside Buhari to heed the call.
And the President of League of National Patriot, Abdulkareem
Abdullahi Ikharo hailed the former president as a courageous patriot who
has the interest of the country at heart.
Reacting to former President Obasanjo’s letter, Shettima said
though Olusegun Obasanjo is not any different from Muhammadu Buhari, the
message he sent is very germane and must be heeded to.
He accused President Muhammadu Buhai’s “blind supporters” of being sycophantic, adding that they failed to tell him the truth.
“Obasanjo is saying what people like us saw from inception. We
saw it coming earlier than now. We felt patriotism does not mean if
government favours you, you cannot be objective. Being objective means
even if it is your father that is doing something strong, you should
summon courage to say it is right or wrong. To me, I strongly believe
that the only way you can show you love Buhari is to tell him the simple
truth, which we did long before now but when we advised him how to do
better than the previous governments, we were tagged Buhari’s enemy by
his blind followers who felt whatever he does is right. It is not done
that way because, government is like a barrack. Anybody can be there.
“This is democracy. It is about the people. Your primary
responsibility has to be the welfare of the people. Anything short of
that is a total failure. You cannot torture people in the name of
governance. people are dying because of hardship.if You do that, you
waste all the goodwill. The blind followers will follow you. We felt
that if Buhari fails, it is the north that has failed.We feel the pains
of Nigerians.”
According to him, even though president Obasanjo did not do better when he was in office, his message cannot be ignored.
“It is not because Obasanjo is better than Buhari but the
message is Important. Obasanjo is the architect of what we have today.
His words are important than him. I commend him for his courage. He
should have said that before now. The time Buhari should have performed
he was complaining. So many people have spoken. Hali Na’Abba has
spoken.They cannot all be Buhari’s enemies” he said.
The National President of Arewa Youths Forum, Alhaji Gambo Gujungu,
accused the president of prosecuting a lopsided war against corruption,
adding that the president cannot claim to be fighting corruption when
his ‘cabals’ were allegedly enmeshed in the act.
“Two weeks ago, we issued a statement warning him(Buhari) not
to contest the 2019 general election because he is yet to fulfill his
2015 election campaign promises. We are also not in support of how he is
fighting corruption in the country. Imagine what is going even within
the so-called ‘cabals’ where issues bothering on corruption are dangling
over their heads.
“We are in line with what former President Obasanjo said.
He(Buhari) should give way since he cannot fix the country and allow
others with the capacity to do so come in board.let him go home and rest
in 2019” he said.
In his own reaction, the National president of the League of
National Patriots, Abdulkareem Abdullahi Ikharo said Obasanjo spoke the
minds of many Nigerians.
In his remark the group leader said “this has clearly shown and
demonstrated that the former president is a true nation builder and
also a leader who truly have the nation at heart. Its clear that
majority of Nigerians are disillusioned since this present Buhari led
administration has failed to meet up with its promises and expectations
of our people. Obasanjo has spoken the minds of over 150 million
citizens of this country” he said