NIGERIAN POLITICS UNPREDICTABLE – BUHARI

Warns against sectionalism

President Muhammmadu Buhari has described Nigerian politics as “virtually unpredictable.” He spoke yesterday at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja while receiving the Federal Capital Territory Muslim community on Sallah homage.

He was talking about the possibility of a former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, winning the July 14 governorship election of Ekiti State.

The president said it was no joke that he was at the Supreme Court three times to seek redress for elections, noting that he had suffered for “this constituency” (the nation’s democracy).

He said: “I have to digress and wish my former Minister of Mines and Steel, Fayemi, well. He has been a very hardworking minister because the ministry he was leading was neglected with the overbearing economic relevance of oil.

“Throughout the country, we have solid minerals and I am hoping that Fayemi will succeed to lead again his state. I believe he is a very hardworking person, very patriotic, but Nigerian politics is virtually unpredictable. We are going to work very hard to fill his space in the executive council so that we keep on exploiting more and more of our solid minerals and less politicizing of our petroleum resources.

“It is amazing that we are here because we tried four times, we were up to three times at the Supreme Court and is no joke. I have suffered for this constituency just like I suffered in the military,” he said

Buhari said so much had been invested in the country, stressing the need for Nigerians to continue to stay together, work together and develop the necessary confidence as a people.

President Buhari also asked all Nigerians to shun what he called individualism and sectionalism.

“Please, in your constituencies, emphasize what I said about 30 years ago. We don’t have another country except Nigeria. We must as well remain here and salvage it together. There is nothing else we can do.

“Even those that had gone out are now trying to come back because they were not wanted out there. I wish they had deployed all the resources they had here. It would have been much better. So l, thank you very much and please l, try to persuade your constituencies to work much harder away from individualism and sectionalism.”

The president said the just-concluded Ramadan fast had made him much healthier and given him the time needed to attend to national issues.

Buhari, who expressed delight at the turnout for the homage, jokingly said that perhaps for the 2019 elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress would try and “abduct” a People’s Democratic Party senator, Philip Aduda, who was among his visitors, from his party.