FORMER Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has been advised to jettison his reported 2019 presidential ambition. Former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, and an anti-corruption crusader, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, who made the call, described Atiku as being too ambitious and desperate.
Tsav who spoke with TUNDE THOMAS, urged Atiku to realize that it is only Allah that gives power to whosoever He so wishes.
What is your reaction to the call for the release of Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd) by members of his family who claimed that his continued detention in spite of several court orders for his immediate release amounts to persecution and a violation of his fundamental human rights?
I believe that in deference to court orders, the Federal Government should allow Dasuki to go home on bail. This is a government that professes and claims that it believes in the rule of law; then why holding on to Dasuki in defiance of court orders?
To make the matter more complex for the Federal Government, ECOWAS court also ordered the Federal Government to release him, and since Nigeria is a signatory to ECOWAS treaties, it then becomes mandatory for the Federal Government to obey the ECOWAS court order.
For continuing to hold on to Dasuki, the Federal Government should realize that on the long run, it will not be in the best interests of Buhari’s administration. Both locally and internationally, Dasuki’s case will start portraying his government as one that has no respect for the rule of law. Very soon, many will even forget that Dasuki is facing trial for corruption, and his role in the arms scandal issue, what many will now be talking about is his incarceration for two years in defiance of court’s orders. This may prove costly and embarrassing for Buhari’s government.
Without knowing it, Buhari’s government may turn Dasuki into a hero of sorts. Already, he is winning public sympathy both locally and internationally.
My advice for President Buhari is that his administration should let Dasuki go home on bail as directed by the court while his trial for fraud and corruption continues.
However, if for any reason, be it security or otherwise that the Federal Government has for still holding on to him, then government should tell the public.
But if it is about security, or fear of his jumping bail and running away, that can be handled by security agencies. They can beef up security cordon around him to prevent his escape.
For me, to continue keeping Dasuki in detention without granting him bail as ordered by four different courts including ECOWAS court is not worth it. His continued detention as I said earlier has now made him to be winning public sympathy. Granting him bail doesn’t mean that his ongoing trial has come to an end. His trial should not only continue but be pursued to a logical end.
The anti-corruption crusade by Buhari’s administration has come under scrutiny with some Nigerians claiming that the crusade seems to be selective, and that if you are in the good book of government the full weight of the law is not brought upon such fellows. Mention is being made of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and former Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Dr Ayodele Oke, both of who were relieved of their duties over allegations bordering on corruption, but are yet to be put on trial several months after; what’s your take on this?
I think what happens is this, and which many Nigerians don’t know, that if you are in public service and you are dis- missed for any offence, that dismissal is your punishment for the offence committed. If government now takes you to court, it will amount to double punishment that means you are being double- punished, so this may be what is happen- ing in Lawal and Oke’s cases.
There are some things that the Federal Government doesn’t have to come on air every now and then to explain, but if at all, such explanation becomes necessary to be given, then that responsibility falls on the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
On the Mainagate, what’s your take?
Very sad and very unfortunate. Maina- gate is an eyesore, and another big em- barrassment to the Federal Government.
President Muhammadu Buhari should ensure that there is no cover-up in Maina’s case. Although Maina is currently in hiding, he has been speaking from his hideout. He has mentioned a lot of names that are also involved or are linked with the scandal.
Thorough investigations should be carried out on all the names mentioned by Maina, and anybody found culpable, no matter how highly placed should not be spared.
Billions of pensioners’ money was involved in Maina scandal; this money that belongs to pensioners was stolen by some heartless Nigerians, while many of these pensioners died waiting to collect their pensions. What a country! This issue must not be swept under the carpet. President Buhari must ensure that the dead pensioners and the living ones get justice.
Again, is it not amazing that the same Federal Government that has refused to obey court’s order for Sambo Dasuki’s release is now claiming and telling the whole world unashamedly that Maina was reinstated into the Civil Service based on court order. It is very sad that our leaders now decide which court order is to be obeyed and which one is to be disregarded. This is an open invitation to anarchy.
It is a shame that the same government that was in a hurry to obey court order on Maina’s reinstatement now finds it difficult to obey the same court order on Dasuki’s release. Are they now telling us that we now have two sets of laws?
Maina’s case is a serious one which should not be allowed to go away until justice is done?
How is Maina even surviving in hiding if he has not stolen part of the pensioners’ fund? This is a poser for our security outfits to find out.
On the reported ambition of former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, to contest presidential election in 2019 …
As a Nigerian, Atiku has every right to seek being elected into any elective position of his choice. He is absolutely free to do so.
But the only area I disagree with Atiku is the way he chooses to realize his ambition. He has become a perpetual defector, jumping from one party to another in order to realize his ambition.
But his action and habit doesn’t reflect or show that of a principled politician. Atiku is overambitious and too desperate.
What Atiku should realize is that it is only Allah that gives power to whomsoever He desires. Atiku is just too desperate. Today he is in APC, tomorrow he is back in PDP, over what? He should realize that power belongs to Almighty Allah.
How would you rate Atiku Abubakar and President Muhammadu Buhari?
Atiku is very rich and he can afford to play with money, whereas President Buhari is not rich, but principled and service-oriented.
However, left to me, Atiku should not be taken serious. He has become a perpetual defector who is desperate for political power. One thing he should realize is that in the political history of Nigeria, it is only those individuals that were not desperate for political power that Allah usually install as our president. This is what happened in the case of General Yakubu Gowon, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
If I were Atiku, I will surrender myself to Allah, and allow Allah’s wish be done in my life.
The issue of withdrawal of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to fight Boko Haram has become a subject of controversy especially among state governors, with governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State describing it as illegal; what’s your reaction to that?
I’m highly disappointed by Fayose and Wike’s actions and comments over the issue. The two governors have not shown themselves to be true patriots, and leaders committed to peace and unity in Nigeria.
I believe that by now, we should have come to a stage whereby we all see what affects one part of the country as affecting other parts collectively.
Other Nigerians that are brave should go to the North East, especially Borno and Adamawa states, and they will see that Nigeria is fighting a serious war with insurgents.
Bombings are taking place every day, and the Boko Haram terrorists are striking on a daily basis. Nigerian soldiers fighting the insurgents are being killed daily. Our armed forces need to be well equipped. In order to combat and cage these terrorists $1 billion dollars is not too much to buy equipment to fight these terrorists.
Fayose and Wike are talking like that because their states are not going through deadly attacks by Boko Haram.
Fayose and Wike should stop playing politics with people’s lives. I even expect them to show compassion and speak like genuine leaders. It is sad that some of our leaders introduce ethnic dimensions into every issue, but this is very wrong.
Fayose and Wike should behave and speak like human beings with milk of kindness in their hearts.
The cost of governance in the country has been described to be on the high side, and even in his New Year address to the nation, President Buhari promised to do something about it; what’s your take on that?
I totally agree with the President’s moves. High cost of governance is killing this country. You have a lot of political appointees running into thousands with most of them doing nothing but collecting free money.
There is a lot of duplication of offices – there are also a lot of leakages in the system which give room for the inflation of cost of governance. All these loopholes have to be blocked.
Look at the way state governors are also misusing security votes. A lot of them are diverting security funds to arm political thugs. They are diverting security votes to other uses other than for which it was originally intended. This is sad, and we have to look for ways to address this issue.
We have just entered the year 2018, but since 2017, a lot of politicking has been going on, with many politicians talking openly about 2019 general elections, but some Nigerians have kicked against this, saying that talk about 2019 is still premature and that it amounts to a distraction, what’s your reaction to this?
Honestly, I’m highly disappointed with INEC. How can we be openly talking and campaigning about 2019 in 2017 and INEC is looking the other way. That amounts to dereliction of duty.
What these politicians are doing clearly violates the provisions of our electoral laws, and they should have been sanctioned by INEC.
By what they are openly doing, talking and canvassing on 2019 general elections, INEC should have disqualified people like Atiku Abubakar, Gov. Nasir el-Rufai and others in their shoes who have been openly campaigning and talking on 2019 general election.
I hereby call on the INEC boss, Professor Mahmud Abubakar, to disqualify Atiku Abubakar and el-Rufai from taking part in 2019 general elections. INEC should ban Atiku from taking part in 2019 polls.
Although el-Rufai is not campaigning for himself, he has been openly campaigning for a second term for President Muhammadu Buhari; el-Rufai and other members of his Buhari for 2019 campaign group have been printing posters and banners for Buhari for 2019.
Nobody should be seen to be above the law; Atiku and el-Rufai should be sanctioned.
INEC has not officially declared the race for 2019 open, but these politicians have already jumped the gun; they should not be allowed to go away with the electoral offence they have committed.
But some people that have come to the defence of el-Rufai are saying that the Kaduna State governor has the right to support any candidate of his choice.
Yes, he has the right to support any candidate of his choice, but this is not yet the time.
Again, why does it appear that el-Rufai is even crying more than the bereaved as the saying goes? President Buhari that he is campaigning for has not uttered a word about 2019. The President has been busy doing his work, and most Nigerians are satisfied with him.
El-Rufai should leave Buhari alone. He should stop distracting the President. I believe el-Rufai has more than enough on his hands in Kaduna State. Rather than distracting Buhari, if el-Rufai doesn’t have any other thing to do, he should go and resolve his problems with teachers in Kaduna State. He should leave Buhari alone.
I believe Buhari is working, and it is his work that will speak for him, not people like el-Rufai.
Buhari is hardworking, honest and contented. Not only that, he is on the right track – I believe Buhari should be given another opportunity in 2019 to enable him continue the good work he is doing. What I will however advise Buhari to do is that he should look for more honest Nigerians to work with him.
Buhari is a patriot who means well for Nigeria; we should join hands with him in efforts being made by his administration to bring sanity to the polity.
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