A former Director of Research and Strategy in the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Dr. Bashir Kurfi, has explained the pivotal role former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) played in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Recall that Dasuki was detained for four years by the Buhari administration over alleged misappropriation of $2.1 billion meant for procurement of arms to fight insurgency in the North East.
However, Kurfi explained in an interview published by Sunday Sun that the ex-NSA introduced the CPC team to Leader of then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, leading to the formation of the APC.
Kurfi, who is also a lecturer in International Finance at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), identified members of the CPC team that midwived the deal.
He said, “First of all, you have to know that I was central to the negotiation of CPC and ACN which later became APC.
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“I was the one who led the team that went to negotiate with Bola Tinubu. In my team on the CPC side at that time was the current Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, Kabir Yusuf, publisher of Daily Trust, Wada Maida who was Chairman of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, and Sambo Dasuki.”
Explaining the role Dasuki played, Kurfi said, “The fact of the matter is that Sambo Dasuki was the one who even introduced us to Tinubu because they were in exile together when Abacha was after them.
“You know Abacha planned to deal with Sambo; so they were in exile together. Also Sambo helped Tinubu’s mother when he was Military Assistant to Babangida.
“And you know Sambo is a very brilliant person. Sambo is one man who doesn’t keep contacts of names and numbers in his phone. He does them offhand. What he does is to just pick his phone and dial your number off hand. He doesn’t save numbers on his phone. And Sambo is such a complete gentleman.”
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Not done with Dasuki’s contributions towards Buhari’s eventual emergence as president in 2015, Kurfi stated, “It was Sambo who initiated this meeting (with Tinubu).
“Initially, we were meeting in Lagos House in Asokoro. It was Sambo who was in between. He was the one who made the arrangements and when we flew to Lagos it was Sambo who made the necessary arrangements.
“But you know the military; it’s just like what Adamu Ciroma said in one of his many interviews. He said they say Buhari is unforgiving and said why should he not forgive?
“He overthrew a democratically-elected government and put Shagari in detention; so if you are removed by the same people you used to overthrow Shagari why should you complain?
“I can tell you that Sambo is the one who went between Buhari and Babangida because Babangida also assisted Buhari with money for his elections.
“It was through Sambo that Babangida assisted Buhari. Sambo’s father, Dasuki was the Chairman of the Nigerian Marketing Board and it was the funds from the Nigerian Marketing Board that was used to stabilize the Nigerian economy during the Sardauna regime.
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“And the sad thing was that Sambo’s father wanted to see his son, Sambo, but couldn’t till he died. Sambo’s father, former Sultan of Sokoto died when Sambo, his son was still in detention. The interesting thing is that Mamman Daura is marrying Sambo’s sister.
“They are the same father and the same mother. No one could save Sambo even when six courts gave him bail. I can tell you that all the campaigns we did around the country Sambo was with us.
“And you know Sambo has a lot of networks. If you want a detribalized Nigerian that is Sambo. You will see him so comfortable with every Nigerian regardless of your tribe, religion or whatever.
“He is also well known and one special attribute of Sambo is that he is very generous. That was why they couldn’t find anything in his account when they investigated him.
“This is because if Sambo has N100 million here as we are sitting before Sambo gets up he would have finished distributing it before leaving.”