Former head of state and presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday stated that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), General Ibrahim Babangida and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma lacks the moral rights to challenge usage of public funds in furthering the chances of Presidential Goodluck Jonathan in the impending presidential election.
He also tackled Babangida on his purported commitment to Igbo presidency in 2015.





Buhari, who spoke through his spokesperson Ya'u Shehu Darazo in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, argued: "First of all, we want to be understood that I am not condoning the use of public funds to finance party activities. Two, I am also not defending Jonathan; he is in a position to defend himself and has handlers.What I am saying is ACF lacks the moral right now to speak against President Jonathan or anybody in government using or misusing public funds to finance political campaign because this did not start today. It started with Obasanjo and all of us know it. We knew, for instance, when we were in court in 2003, that for the 30 months lawyers of Obasanjo were coming to court in government vehicles. They were accommodated in government VIP guest houses, they were financed from government coffers, they were provided with the State Security Services (SSS) personnel as bodyguards. Where was ACF then? We also saw in 2007 when we were in court that the lawyers of the late Yar'Adua were driven to court in government vehicles supported by machinery of government. Where was ACF then? And we also saw all over the country where governors who rigged elections were taken to courts, the entire government machinery wase in courts in respect of all the governors whether in the North or South. Where was ACF? So this is the moral question and that is why some of us are opposed to the partisan position of the ACF in respect of the so- called zoning, because it is entirely a PDP affair and ACF today has turned itself into an organ of the PDP.

"There are, over 50 political parties. If anybody felt cheated in his party he or she has option to move to another party and aspire to be whatever he wants to be. The essential thing is to mobilize Northerners and by extension Nigerians to make the right choice and defend their votes. And I would give you an example: the spokesperson of ACF is from Nasarawa State. We saw then how Abdullahi Adamu as the governor was running the state like Hitler. He conducted the worst election ever in Nigeria and, in Akwanga where the spokesman comes from, he did the worst because that was the enclave of the ANPP. Where was the ACF then? So this is what we are saying: when an honourable organisation goes into partisan politics it loses its bearing, and that is what it is today, a PDP wing. A lot of people have lost confidence,  and thank God for the chairman who has maintained a dignified position. We challenge them to focus on Northern governors seeking re-election, and those who may want to force the anointed ones on the people. What are they doing in this regard?

Commenting on the recent letter written to the leadership of the PDP by a group led by Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, Buhari said: "I read very interesting interview in which Edwin Clark said he attended more ACF meetings than Adamu Ciroma, and he was right because I, for example was part of ACF from March 8, 2000 – that was when it started – and I have never seen Adamu Ciroma; in any case he was one of those opposing ACF because he saw ACF as an organ that was challenging the brutality of Obasanjo on the people of the North, and Adamu Ciroma was opposed to that and he made all efforts to destroy the organisation along with the rest.

And so when Edwin Clark said so, he is right because there was fraternity between the ACF and the South-South. What I am saying is: I am surprised that, suddenly, Adamu Ciroma has regained his voice. Because I remember in the first post-PDP convention in Abuja in 1999 the Northern candidate for the chairmanship of the party was the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi. Everybody knew that in that election that was the burial of internal party democracy in Nigeria and Obasanjo was responsible for that.”

omobenin:

Former head of state and presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday stated that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), General Ibrahim Babangida and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma lacks the moral rights to challenge usage of public funds in furthering the chances of Presidential Goodluck Jonathan in the impending presidential election.
He also tackled Babangida on his purported commitment to Igbo presidency in 2015.





Buhari, who spoke through his spokesperson Ya'u Shehu Darazo in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, argued: "First of all, we want to be understood that I am not condoning the use of public funds to finance party activities. Two, I am also not defending Jonathan; he is in a position to defend himself and has handlers.What I am saying is ACF lacks the moral right now to speak against President Jonathan or anybody in government using or misusing public funds to finance political campaign because this did not start today. It started with Obasanjo and all of us know it. We knew, for instance, when we were in court in 2003, that for the 30 months lawyers of Obasanjo were coming to court in government vehicles. They were accommodated in government VIP guest houses, they were financed from government coffers, they were provided with the State Security Services (SSS) personnel as bodyguards. Where was ACF then? We also saw in 2007 when we were in court that the lawyers of the late Yar'Adua were driven to court in government vehicles supported by machinery of government. Where was ACF then? And we also saw all over the country where governors who rigged elections were taken to courts, the entire government machinery wase in courts in respect of all the governors whether in the North or South. Where was ACF? So this is the moral question and that is why some of us are opposed to the partisan position of the ACF in respect of the so- called zoning, because it is entirely a PDP affair and ACF today has turned itself into an organ of the PDP.

"There are, over 50 political parties. If anybody felt cheated in his party he or she has option to move to another party and aspire to be whatever he wants to be. The essential thing is to mobilize Northerners and by extension Nigerians to make the right choice and defend their votes. And I would give you an example: the spokesperson of ACF is from Nasarawa State. We saw then how Abdullahi Adamu as the governor was running the state like Hitler. He conducted the worst election ever in Nigeria and, in Akwanga where the spokesman comes from, he did the worst because that was the enclave of the ANPP. Where was the ACF then? So this is what we are saying: when an honourable organisation goes into partisan politics it loses its bearing, and that is what it is today, a PDP wing. A lot of people have lost confidence,  and thank God for the chairman who has maintained a dignified position. We challenge them to focus on Northern governors seeking re-election, and those who may want to force the anointed ones on the people. What are they doing in this regard?

Commenting on the recent letter written to the leadership of the PDP by a group led by Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, Buhari said: "I read very interesting interview in which Edwin Clark said he attended more ACF meetings than Adamu Ciroma, and he was right because I, for example was part of ACF from March 8, 2000 – that was when it started – and I have never seen Adamu Ciroma; in any case he was one of those opposing ACF because he saw ACF as an organ that was challenging the brutality of Obasanjo on the people of the North, and Adamu Ciroma was opposed to that and he made all efforts to destroy the organisation along with the rest.

And so when Edwin Clark said so, he is right because there was fraternity between the ACF and the South-South. What I am saying is: I am surprised that, suddenly, Adamu Ciroma has regained his voice. Because I remember in the first post-PDP convention in Abuja in 1999 the Northern candidate for the chairmanship of the party was the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi. Everybody knew that in that election that was the burial of internal party democracy in Nigeria and Obasanjo was responsible for that.”

A leopard can never change it's spots. Buhari remains a tribalist, a religious fundamentalist and military dictator at heart. Even his his anti-corruption credentials have become suspect in the face of recent revelations of pilferage at the Petroleum Ministry & PTF under his watch.

I find this kind of News reporting from Nigerian journalists very outdated.

Why can't headline read: Buhari's aide- Ya'u Shehu Darazo - Tackles Northern Leaders.

Nigerian journalists must stop this culture of misleading headlines.

mikeansy:

I find this kind of News reporting from Nigerian journalists very outdated.

Why can't headline read: Buhari's aide- Ya'u Shehu Darazo - Tackles Northern Leaders.

Nigerian journalists must stop this culture of misleading headlines.

On the contrary, I find it very up to date. I'm sure u watched welcome to Lagos didnt u?