Buhari does not understand Nigeria —Tambuwal

SOKOTO State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has observed that the relationship between Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari is like a forced marriage, noting that the president does not understand the country just as the citizens do not understand him. 

Tambuwal said if Buhari had known the country better, his appointments would not have been lopsided in a country where inclusiveness is paramount. 

Addressing political stakeholders, including former ministers, in Abuja on Wednesday night, he said, “I had cause to say that President Muhammadu Buhari is the President of Nigeria today, but between him and Nigeria is like forced marriage. 

“He does not understand Nigeria and Nigerians, probably, up till now do not understand him.” 

He said, “Otherwise, how can, in a government of the Republic of Nigeria, we have from number one to almost number nine no representation from a whole geopolitical zone: from the president, vice president to the speaker, deputy Senate president, deputy speaker, Secretary to the State Government, and chief of staff and including the national chairman of their party? They don’t have BoT. So, I will not count BoT for them. 

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“None is from the SouthEast, and you expect people to be happy with you and be clapping for you where there’s a clear case of exclusion, which is a very im- portant component of any democratic governance or any leadership. 

“At whatever level, you must include people, you must involve people you must have people around the table discussing and taking decisions for their communities, for their country before they feel that sense of belonging to that community or to that country. 

“That is the situation of this country under President Muhammadu Buhari. 

“We have never had it so bad and the general economic situation of the country is all so very bad. We know as at 2015 when PDP government led this country and we know the situation today.” 

The Sokoto governor regretted that insecurity had driven his people to find refuge in neighbouring Niger Republic, saying that the PDP must work together to rescue Nigeria. 

He added, “We have never been this divided. The fault lines have been overstretched and Nigerians are wondering what they’re doing in this country. “That is a general concern virtually in every nook and cranny of this country. 

“Where I’m presiding over as governor of the Sokoto, neighbouring Niger Republic, we have communities that are not more than 10 kilometres to each other in Nigeria, and Niger Republic. 

“As I speak to you some of those communities, once it is evening, move into Niger Republic, where they can sleep with their two eyes closed and in the morning, they come back to Nigeria. 

“So, I quite understand how precarious our situation is, in terms of insecurity and displacement of people of this country. I have multitudes of IDPs in my state, and we have been managing a very, very troubling situation in my state. 

“Few weeks back, I was asked in Yenagoa, and a journalist alluded to the fact that Nigeria is on autopilot, I said no. When you are on autopilot, at least you are sure that you are being technologically driven and you may land or have a safe landing. That is not the situation in Nigeria. 

“It is rudderless. We are in the ship without its captain. We are in a ship that is clearly sinking. And it behoves all of us, irrespective of whatever our leanings are, irrespective of where we’re coming from, to rally round to rescue our country. And it can only be done by the collective and collectivity of all of us. 

“People, first in the PDP and second layer the public of Nigeria who understand the gravity of the situation of our country today and indeed even those who are in the system today but are not happy with what is going on, we must all come together to make sure that we rescue our country. 

“But we can only do that for us in PDP if we’re able to prove our processes and particularly our national convention throw up a candidate that understands all of these issues. A candidate that understands Nigeria.”