The
Presidency last night blasted a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress
(APC), Engineer Buba Galadima for saying that President Muhammadu Buhari would
be alone in 2019.
Senior
Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu,
described Galadima’s assertion in an exclusive interview that the masses would
desert Buhari in 2019 as unfounded and utterly ridiculous.
Shehu
said ordinary Nigerians were the backbone of Buhari’s mandate and the only
reason he ran for the office was to protect them against the “rapacious
merchants of corruption who have held Nigeria back for decades.”
The
presidential spokesman also described Galadima’s calculation and prediction as
utterly confused and misleading.
Shehu said the masses were solidly behind Buhari because he was not stealing their money and future, adding that the president’s enormous goodwill remained ever strong because the people were convinced that he was acting in their best interest despite the temporary unintended consequences of reforms.
According
to Shehu, Buhari is far from isolation as he enjoys “a very strategic
relationship” with ordinary Nigerians.
“This relationship is as solid as
the proverbial rock. If Buba Galadima thinks that because he has no role and no
job in this government and that means the president is isolated, he is putting
himself up for ridicule,” he stated.
Shehu
said Galadima could not speak for the masses as far as their steadfast loyalty
to Buhari was concerned.
He
said though Galadima was entitled to advance his own “political agenda”, he did
not have the right to decide for ordinary voters.
Shehu,
who noted that Galadima’s disagreement with Buhari was based on personal
opinion, said the president was committed to a level playing field and would
not want anyone to link his name to injustice.
“Galadima’s
disagreement with Buhari started in 2011 when a group within the party,
orchestrated an organisational mess by which the CPC embarked on the imposition
and substitution of candidates for cash payments at the expense of those duly
and democratically elected. President Buhari was embarrassed by the incidents
and complaints about the imposition and substitution of candidates, and said
he, as a democrat, would not suppress the will of the people to please selfish
interests.
“Consequently
he dispensed with the service, such as they were, of Buba Galadima; ran and won
the 2015 Elections without them. Let Buba Galadima go to his constituency,
stand for election and see what will happen to him,” Shehu stated.
Source:Daily
Trust
Tags
Politics