Posted by By KENNY ASHAKA, Kaduna on
Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has accused the party and its leadership of betraying him in their acceptance to participate in the proposed government of national unity in the country, even after counselling him to go to court.
Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has accused the party and its leadership of betraying him in their acceptance to participate in the proposed government of national unity in the country, even after counselling him to go to court.
The ANPP presidential flagbearer made the allegation in his reaction to the recent invitation by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to all political parties to join hands with him so as to form a broad-based government to pull the nation from the brink.
Speaking in an interview with the Hausa Service of Radio Deutchewelle, Bonn, Germany, monitored in Kaduna at the weekend, Buhari lamented that the party and its leadership have abandoned him in pursuing the court case and resorted to government of national unity.
But in a swift reaction in a chat with the Hausa Service of Voice of America (VOA), former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima, who is also the leader of the ANPP's committee that dialogued with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the matter, debunked the allegation, stressing that Buhari was economical with the truth.
Buhari argued that those who jumped at the offer by President Yar'Adua did not follow the laiddown rules and regulations of the party, but went there for their selfish interests or personal aggrandisement.
He explained that the normal procedure was for the party to table the matter before the three standing assemblies and be deliberated upon and resolution reached before action could be taken.
Said Buhari: 'The ANPP has three assemblies in which they must meet one-to-one to discuss on any necessary step or matter, especially the dialogue with the Federal Government. These assemblies must discuss something and decide on something before it works. These are not done.
'After the election, I in particular did not want to go to court because of what happened to us in 2003. We spent 30 months in the court and in the end the judgement was not in our favour. But the party stated that every candidate contested on its platform, therefore they would go to court. That's all and we all agreed that we should go to court.
'Right now we are in court; but some people from the party have come out and said that they would go and talk with the president so that they can get everything easily, or their secrets should not be exposed; because of the offences they committed.
'This has demonstrated that in Nigeria, they have killed the opposition parties; they have sold out. The three assemblies of the party are: first, the National Working Committee which carries out the day to day affairs of the party.
'The second is the caucus which comprises elders and leaders of the party; while the third is the National Executive Committee. These three assemblies must meet and discuss issue and agree on it before it is done. These were not done.
'It is not in the interest of the ANPP. If it is the National Executive Committee as I have explained earlier that met and agreed that after going to court, it wants posts in the name of the party, then we should go and withdraw the case in the court and they do whatever they want to do.
'But I as a presidential candidate, after we have agreed that we should go to court and we did, now they have made a U-turn and said that they are going to seek for any post, I feel it is a betrayal.
'Therefore, our people that they killed during the campaigns, those whose houses and property were burnt, and those that were harassed and their human rights trampled upon have now been abandoned."
In a reaction, Sani Yarima, now a Senator wondered why Buhari should cry foul, whereas he was duly consulted by the party leadership on the invitation by Yar'Adua, to which he gave his consent.
'It was in my presence that the national chairman of the party phoned him (Buhari) on the invitation and what the party would table for discussion at the meeting and that a committee has been constituted and I, Yarima, would lead the committee and he (Buhari) agreed that we should go on.
'We gave press statement on certain conditions for ANPP's participation in the government of national unity. These are: Review of the contracts awarded in the past three months, also, government's property that were sold hastily should be revisited; and thirdly, the Electoral Act should be reviewed to make it acceptable to every political party, because the present one gives room to electoral frauds. Fourthly, the Constitution should be amended so that all those provisions which constitute hiccups will be expunged or amended."
Also reacting to the development, former Sokoto State governor and Presidential candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in the just concluded elections, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa commended Buhari for being principled and honest on the matter.
Bafarawa told the Hausa Service of Voice of America that the likes of Buhari are very rare in the country, asserting that the masses were denied their rightful choice at the presidential election.
'What happened in April 2007 were not elections but selfishness. Everyone has condemned in very strong terms the conduct of the elections.
'Therefore, it is a sad irony that upon that, they would still call the parties to meet and share posts. There is a looming disaster in Nigeria. Only God will avert it and avenge the masses what the leaders have done.
'The conduct of the elections denied the masses their rightful choice. There were hues and cries. But now that they are talking about sharing posts, they are running cap in hand to grab them because they have no interests of the masses at heart.
'By this action, Buhari has proved that he is a true politician even though they see him as an old soldier. But there is nothing honourable in politics than to stand firm on something that will benefit both the politician and the supporters", he said.
According to Bafarawa, the only way forward for the country will be the formation of an Interim National Government (ING) which will conduct genuine elections that will be free, fair and acceptable to all political parties.