FRESH facts emerged yesterday confirming suspicion in most quarters that arrangements had been concluded by some All Progressives Congress, APC,chieftains to draft President Muhammadu Buhari into the 2019 presidential race. The latest development was the inauguration of the Buhari Support Organisation, BSO, office, a one storey building at Mafemi Crescent, Utako Abuja which was witnessed by key officials of the Buhari administration. Specifically at the event were the governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar; Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello; Plateau State governor, Mr. Simon Lalong,
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Federal Capital Territory Minister, Mohammed Bello; Defence Minister, Mansur Dan Ali; Niger Delta Minister, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani; Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire; Comptroller General of Customs, Col Hamid Ali,retd, and Sen Olorunimbe Mamora among others. They were unanimous in their lamentation that Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, members were more represented in the Buhari administration. 50 percent of PDP members in our govt Speaking in that regard, Ali, said: ‘’Let me say that in the course of the jihad of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), anytime they went out for a battle, they came back with loot, but this loot, as far as my own research told me was not distributed to everybody, but to those who took the sword and faced the enemies. “Today, with all sense of responsibility,
I want to say that we have 50 percent of PDP members in our government. How can we move forward with this load? How can we achieve our target with this load? It is a spoilt system and so, when you come in, you shake off everybody and bring in your own. That is what democracy is all about. Today, we have members of the PDP calling the shots. That is what we will begin to fight for. We will fight for our rightful position, our vision and our mission for this government.
I am sorry to deviate into politics, but it is essential because we are a political organisation. It is time for us to wake up from slumber and chart a course for this great nation and I believe that we can do it. “When we were there working and jumping in the streets and reaching every corner, we were shouting change, change for a better Nigeria. Now, the keyword is good governance for Nigerians. We must agree that we cannot finish our four years without delivering and leaving something to be remembered for in this country for a long time to come. We have no problem with our President because he is on course. We have no problem with Buhari “But I must confess here that we have been infused by people who were not part of this journey and these people are the ones that call the shots today. That is why we are derailing.
If we had the right people who had the vision and have been there in and out, I believe that we will not be going the way we are going today. “It is my belief that those of us who have been in the trenches all these years to get good governance will surely be sleeping with bellyache every day, especially in the recent past. Every day, when you wake up, there is a story that makes you shiver. We cannot, as a people who have fought and committed everything we had to bring this government to power, sit back and allow things to happen the way they are happening.
Fingers will point at us “At the end of the day, fingers will point at us because we were the ones who went to people and spoke to them to give us their votes. These people that are calling the shots today were not there and when the chips are down, they will disappear and melt into the system. We are the ones that will be asked to account for what happened. Are we willing to face Nigerians and tell them that we have failed? I think this is the time for us to come together, create a system that is very robust enough to fight back and take back government in our hands and ensure that we deliver. “This is a commission, but it is also the beginning of the fight for good governance. We must get back to the trenches, draw our own battle plan and battle line. I enjoin you that the same commitment we had in 2015, I employ you to bear with us and commit yourself to a better future for Nigeria.” Presidential Campaign Council On his part, Lalong said: “I was sharing a joke with somebody and I said when I hear that appointments are made I look at the CVs of those people, hardly will you see anyone being a member of BSO or member of Presidential Campaign Council. I am sure many of you have also noticed that. “Let Mr. President be aware that this is the time to do it because even as governors we are also complaining in our various states, we are saying it. We complained in our states that while we are here we are sitting down we hear appointments being made and then people start asking us questions. But when we turn right and turn left, we don’t know where such person comes from.
“Many people have complained. I’m sure governors have complained that we should be able to know who and who will protect Mr. President and his administration. We established BSO we also had BSO in our own states but today when we turn back, we find out that we are not enjoying. It means that something is wrong.’’ Also speaking, Abubakar, explained that he was not part of the BSO at the beginning, adding that he had never lost faith in the vision of the President. Kogi State governor said he was following in the footsteps of the President and replicating his governance style in Kogi.
This declaration, however, that attracted jeering over his inability to pay workers’ salary. The Buhari Support Organizations BSO is a coalition of over 600 groups working for the electoral success of President Buhari. I89 groups will encourage Buhari to contest for 2019 Earlier, no fewer than 189 groups, which worked for the emergence of President Buhari in 2015, have endorsed him for the 2019 election. The leader of the Buhari Support Group, BSG, Abu Ibrahim disclosed this after a meeting with Buhari at the Presidential Villa yesterday. He said he led a delegation to Aso Rock to intimate the President on the activities of BSG. His words: “We came here as members of the national committee of the Buhari support group. This is an amalgamation of about 189 different support groups that had worked for President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC to win the 2015 general election. “We have been holding meetings, discussing the problems of this country, Nigeria. So, we thought it was high time we met with the President to intimate him about the activities of the group. “We discussed with him about the plans to improve the situation in Nigeria. Mr. President was very pleased with our programmes. “Because l believe in his philosophy and l believe he can solve the problems of this nation. He can ensure the progress, stability and prosperity of this nation.”
He, however, said the group will encourage President Buhari to contest for the 2019 election, saying the groups believed in his philosophy. The delegation had in attendance the Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan; and Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, VON, Ostia Okechukwu among others. A lot of sacrifices On his part, Buhari told the support groups that worked for his election in 2015 that their work required a lot of sacrifices. Buhari commended the various support groups working for the progress of his administration, saying posterity would reward their sacrifices for the peace, progress and prosperity of the nation. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina quoted the President as saying:”I am grateful for your sacrifices. Your work requires a lot of sacrifices both physical and material. I do not think anybody will join this organisation for material reasons. ‘’What you are doing is for the nation and not for me as an individual. Therefore, there is no way you can lose because what you are doing is for posterity.”
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