The senator representing Ogun East senatorial district in the National Assembly, Sen. Buruji Kashamu has urged those advising President Muhammadu Buhari not to run for second term to let the electorates be the judge.
He said that Buhari had won his first term on three main campaign promises: fighting corruption, overcoming insecurity and plugging the loopholes in the economy.
The senator added that the administration had performed in most of those promises, although it was up for debat, and so the president’s detractors must let the voters be the judge.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator also advised the party to ensure its members get justice so it can forge ahead and challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said, “Every Nigerian is entitled to his opinion. Freedom of speech is one of the essentials of democracy. The President is constitutionally entitled to seek re-election and that is undeniable. The electorate should be the ones to decide whether they want him to continue in office or not since the issue of satisfactory performance is relative and might be subjective. For instance, it is common knowledge that the President promised to deliver on three things – to fight corruption, insecurity and fix our economy. Now, the jury is out as to whether he has delivered on the three programmes. But, no one can deny that he has blocked many leakages in our treasury through the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), Government Financial Management and Information System and the Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance, among others.
“The Federal Government has also decimated Boko Haram. Unlike before, the insurgents are no longer in control of any Nigerian territory. Again, although not all the Chibok girls are back, a good number of the girls have returned and back in the warm embrace of their families. While those in support of the President’s re-election could say that his anti-corruption war has helped to stabilise our economy and saved it from recession, those against it could argue that he is fighting corruption and insecurity at the expense of the economy.
“Others could say that though the administration is fixing critical infrastructure, there is no stomach infrastructure and that it is those who are alive that can use the infrastructure. But, there are those who also believe that fixing the critical infrastructure will guarantee stomach infrastructure on a more sustainable basis.
“In my candid opinion, integrity is of the essence in all human endeavours and I am yet to see one person who can question the integrity of Mr. President. This, to me, is a very important ingredient in leadership. This might have informed the recent choice of President Buhari by the African Union (AU) as its anti-corruption champion.”
Kashamu commended the Governor Seriake Dickson-led Reconciliation Committee of the PDP for doing a good job of exploring ways to find peace and cohesion within the party.
He added, “The committee is doing its very best in reaching out to all the aggrieved members of the party with a view to ironing out all the grey areas. And I think that is a very commendable initiative,” he said.
“We are talking and I hope that at the end of the day, justice will be done in such a manner that none of the contending forces will be shortchanged,” the senator said.
The senator criticised Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose for “running in and out of courts to enforce what he called his rights. Yet, the same person can gleefully deny others their rights to the constitutionally-guaranteed term of office.”
“He is going nowhere. In fact, no reasonable Presidential candidate will pick a cantankerous and inordinately ambitious person as his running mate.“Any Presidential candidate who picks Fayose as his running mate endangers his life should he win.”