Bafarawa has enough clout to win PDP’s ticket, 2019 elections —Dingyadi

  A two-term governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, is one of the aspirants jostling for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His spokesperson, Alhaji Yusuf Dingyadi, speaks on his chances, among others. OLAKUNLE MARUF brings excerpts.

What do you think qualifies Attahiru Bafarawa to be Nigeria’s president?

If you know his political antecedents, you will agree with me that Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa stands shoulder high among the PDP presidential aspirants. He is not just a bridge builder but above all, a detribalised Nigerian and well grounded politician in the Nigerian project. He is a tested politician who rose through the ranks, from the local government, through the state to where he is today. His political sagacity is  acknowledged nationwide.

This is why the political class from the North, East, South and West are yearning for him. But for those who don’t know, he started as a party chairman and local government vice chairman, became a two-term governor of Sokoto State. He was a founding member of three national political parties, national vice chairman, and national chairman of a party and once ran for the presidency of the country. To put the record straight, who among the aspirants today in PDP was near the presidency when Bafarawa first ran? Maybe one.

Immediately after his two terms as governor of Sokoto State, he ran for the presidency on the platform of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), and since then, he went into a kind of political recession. Why this sudden urge to run for the presidency again, after he did over a decade ago?

The urge to rescue Nigeria from the brink of disintegration and collapse is the major reason why Bafarawa decided to mount the podium again. As a patriotic Nigerian, he could not stomach the impunity, wanton destruction of lives and properties and the level of suspicion and division, which is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. These negatives appear to be the dividends of democracy from the visionless and clueless APC administration is giving Nigerians. Honestly, Nigeria needs a leader in the mould of Bafarawa to fill the vacuum of good leadership that is presently lacking in Nigeria.

Let me also correct the impression that Bafarawa has not been visible on the political landscape after his first attempt at the presidency. It is on record that he was a founding member of the APC, where he midwifed the drafting of the party’s manifesto.

The kind of acceptance and love accorded Bafarawa’s presidential campaign team to the three southern regions of the country was unprecedented and encouraging. We are talking of pure love and not rented crowd. People recalled his good deeds as governor with nostalgia, pouring encomiums on him as a detribalised Nigerian who will restore the unity and peaceful co-existence we have been enjoying in the country. Bafarawa never discriminated against any tribe. He appointed non- indigenes, who are even Christians, into his government, in a state that is known to be for core Muslims. He is even described as the most trusted among the PDP presidential aspirants.

Given the pedigree of other political gladiators jostling for the PDP presidential ticket, how does Bafarawa plan to win the primary election?

The strategy to win the primary election remains our guided secret. What you are seeing today in PDP is democracy in action, with 13 aspirants jostling for the party’s sole presidential ticket unlike the APC that printed only one presidential form. Almost all the PDP presidential aspirants have said repeatedly that they will support whoever emerges as the party’s standard-bearer, and I think the roll call of aspirants is good for the party since it is the more, the merrier. It is also an indication that PDP has rediscovered itself and is ready to return to its winning ways.

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Bafarawa, like other aspirants, has been traversing the length and breadth of the country, canvassing for the support and votes of the delegates and I can tell you authoritatively that the turn out, response and outpouring of love stood him in a better position that he will surely coast to victory at the convention.

Incidentally, two out of the 13 PDP presidential aspirants are from Sokoto. Don’t you think their aspirations will put delegates from the state in dilemma on where to pitch their tent?

This is a very good question indeed. Former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa and the incumbent governor, Aminu Tambuwal, are illustrious sons of Sokoto and their political aspirations cannot divide the people of Sokoto. To us, their coming out is a blessing because it places the two of them at a vantage pedestal of winning the ticket. If one misses it, the other may get it. Their coming out is good because our eggs will not be put in one basket.

This is also to convince you how determined the people of Sokoto are to change the current rudderless APC Federal Government. Let me also use this opportunity to emphasise that Bafarawa and  Tambuwal are political soulmates, whose political relationship has come a long way since 2003. They have mutual respect for each other and our prayers go with them in search of the party’s ticket to contest and win to rule Nigeria.

Are you saying their long-standing political relationship and mutual respect for each other is the reasons the peace in Sokoto PDP has not ruptured in relation to who controls the party, when Tambuwal recently returned to the party?

Definitely. For the benefits of Nigerians, who are interested in the politics of Sokoto, the issue of supremacy as to who controls the party in the state was laid to rest at the maiden PDP stakeholders meeting, where former Governor Bafarawa openly declared that Governor Aminu Tambuwal is the party’s leader in the state and, he (Bafarawa), will be his follower. In response, Tambuwal acknowledged his recognition and acceptance as the leader of the party in the state and reciprocated that former Governor Bafarawa should provide guiding leadership for the party. This confirmed that the two of them are committed to the unity of the party with mutual respect for each other.

Bafarawa was described among the PDP aspirants as having political experience but cannot match the clout, intimidating war chests and the national network other aspirants?

Pundits’ observations may not be right at times and I can confirm to you that Alhaji Bafarawa’s network is massive. He is buoyant to run the race from the primary to the end, when he will eventually emerge as the party’s candidate. One good thing that is working for him is that nobody can doubt his sound health, competence and capability to rule Nigeria. Money wise, Bafarawa is not poor. He is comfortable. After all, he did not sell a dummy to Nigerians that he is selling scratch cards to raise money to buy nomination form nor arranged people under the guise of raising funds for him to buy nomination form. He never pretends to mislead Nigerians. Vote buying is not in Bafarawa’s lexicon because it was alien to him when he contested and won Sokoto governorship election back-to-back.

Yes, he may not have any “common wealth” purse to dip his hands into, but you can be rest assured that when Bafarawa emerges as PDP’s standard-bearer, money to prosecute the presidential campaigns will not be an issue. His goodwill and Nigerians’ resolve to change the present APC government will be enough to see him through. Bafarawa’s enviable records as a governor who inherited an empty treasury on assumption of office and left behind a whopping N13 billion. After eight years, the quantum of tangible projects and infrastructures to his credit is unparalleled. This is part of his unique selling point. He has been tested and he never failed.

Bafarawa has joined the PDP presidential aspirants that have made restructuring their vocal point, with almost all of them relegating issues such as impunity and nepotism to the background. What is Bafarawa’s position on impunity and nepotism the present administration is alleged to be promoting?

The restructuring Bafarawa is promoting in his campaign is not just a slogan to convince people to support and vote for him as the president of Nigeria but, the one in line with the manifesto, which he will abide by and implement in consonance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to uniting the country. That will also give every citizen a sense of belonging. Bafarawa is not only mouthing restructuring, it is in the party’s manifesto and he will surely implement it as well as the Goodluck Jonathan confab report. Bafarawa, as president of Nigeria, will dust the confab report and implement it to the benefit and unity of the country.

What is his position on the attempt to prune down the number of aspirants for the PDP presidential ticket?

That is not his challenge. He has tremendous respect for each of his fellow aspirants because they have made their marks, and all are equal to the task. We all know that consultation is on-going on how to prune the list of the aspirants. One thing that is sure is that the party will not compel any of the aspirants to step down and I see all the aspirants testing their strengths at the convention, where delegates and the party will hopefully settle for Alhaji Atthairu Dalhathu Bafarawa.