…says those behind the coalition are politically expired, without political weight
…says Tinubu interested in Kwankwaso, any other joining party
By Bashir Bello
KANO — A Presidential aide and Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz has said that President Tinubu is unperturbed and not jittery about the activities of the opposition coalition led by the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
This was as he described persons behind the coalition as politically expired and without political weight.
Abdulaziz stated this during an interactive session with members of the Kano State Correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ in Kano.
The presidential aide described the persons as disgruntled elements who are a group of bitter individuals driven by personal vendetta and a sense of personal loss whose concern is not the people.
According to him, “I can tell you that the President is unperturbed. He is completely not disturbed. He is not in any way jittery about whether it is coalition or any political formation. Because, one, is that the people that are championing these things, most of them are politically expired. There are people with no political weight or relevance that would jitter the government or the president. We have had serial contesters who had, you know, thrown their hearts into the ring on many occasions. And they were fully lost. And nothing much has changed. In fact, their star is dimming. And in that kind of situation, what they did not do or they did not get when their stars were shining, I don’t see them getting it now.
“Then secondly, you should also know that these are a group of bitter individuals. People driven by personal vendetta and a sense of personal loss. And their concern is not the people, is not the ordinary Nigerians. Their concern is that they are not on the table. And Nigerians have sufficiently understood this. And that is why the coalition is not catching fire as they thought it would. Because if you just cast your mind back not long ago, you will know that what they wanted to achieve was grand.
“Like, some three, four, five months ago when they started, they were thinking that it is going to be like a snowball of fire that will just come and consume the government. And it has not happened. So why should anybody get jittery? They have failed in that attempt already. As I said, Nigerians, see them for what they are. They are disgruntled elements that are only talking about themselves. Listen to their interviews. Hardly do they talk about the people. Even if they do, it’s just a smokescreen to use to advance their own agenda and interests. But what they majorly talk about is their exclusion.
And leadership should not be seen as a common chop. Leadership should be seen as service. So if people who ostensibly call themselves saviors or people who have a new movement or something like that should be seen to be altruistic, should be seen to be people who are driven by public interest, not by the fact that they are only crying over spilled milk, over something that they thought they should take as if it is their own birthright or their own inheritance, which someone has taken from them. So that’s the second point.
“Then number three, why the president is not disturbed is also because he knows that all well-meaning Nigerians, people who really care and understand what it means to drive a country, actually are behind the president. So for these reasons, the president is not disturbed about any coalition. Believing that Nigerians are able to differentiate between light and darkness. Between people who are soldiers of fortune. Who want to just grab a national pie and run away with it. And someone who actually wants to secure our future in terms of more sustainable prosperity,” he said.
On the imminent defection plan by the former governor of Kano State, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso into the All Progressive Congress, APC, the Senior Special Assistant, Abdulaziz said the President is interested in Kwankwaso and anybody joining the party.
He said the President is not ready to sacrifice neither Kwankwaso nor Ganduje for the other.
“The presidency is interested in anybody joining the party. You know, political parties are meant for the people, and all persons matter, all persons are important. Recently, the former Kano state governor, Dr. Ganduje, said something in an interview that the vote of a thief and that of a clergy is the same, and that is true.
“I remember reading a very memorable passage. I heard someone saying something similar, actually, a long time ago, that in democracy, one idiot is as good as one genius. So, it’s like, don’t exclude anybody. Political parties are meant for everyone, and APC welcomes anyone, president welcomes anyone. Kwankwaso and President Tinubu have had a long relationship. They were both elected under the platform of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, though one to the House of Reps and another to the Senate.
And then they became governors at the same time, in 1999. They have a club, actually, of class 99, they call it, of governors who were elected in 1999. So, I think they have more things in common than differences, and I think it shouldn’t surprise anybody if they are talking to each other or if they are considering working together again. But, having said that, President Tinubu is somebody that is also very loyal to his friends. He would not hurt anybody or sacrifice anyone of his friends. Both Ganduje and Kwankwaso are his friends, and I don’t think he would sacrifice anybody over the other,” the Senior Special Assistant, Abdulaziz however stated.
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