Kayode Ogundamisi, a popular social activist and political commentator who campaigned for President Muhammadu Buhari as a presidential candidate in 2015, on Friday lamented that the Nigerian leader has lost the trust the people had when they cast their votes for him.
He was speaking to SaharaReporters on the prospects of the two major political parties ahead of the 2019 election, stressing that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) cannot produce a President fit to rule Nigeria.
Mr. Ogundamisi said he regretted his support of President Buhari, saying he is performing below expectation.
Nigerians, he said, wanted a change in governance and a new democratic dispensation but President Buhari has failed woefully to deliver that.
He expressed similar dismissal of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, stressing he had been unable to utilize his opportunity when he was the President of the country, leading to him being voted out by the populace.
“If I am to rate the present President, I would score him four out of ten because expectations were high then, the people were there to support him because they wanted that change and wanted this government to live to its word but I don’t think this government has lived up to expectation,” Ogundamisi said.
In that regard, he said he would continue to condemn the government for a lot of things President Buhari should have done better, saying he has squandered some of the trust Nigerians had for him and it would take a long time for him to get it back.
Of the future, he said it was a big question mark depending on who comes out in 2019, adding that it is for the Nigerian people to decide, but that he does not think PDP can produce a President for Nigeria.
He applauded the Buhari-led administration for its anti-corruption fight, stating it has shown effort in tackling the menace although it has not done enough.
Commenting on the medical outreach carried out by Nigeria military which has caused an uproar in some parts of the country, Mr. Ogundamisi advised Nigerians to desist from spreading false news about it, saying it is the students who are being taken out of school will lose the most.
“We should not because of our personal hatred for a particular leader discomfort our young children and spread rumor that will stop our education,” he said. “Every second a child misses school, you are injuring the future of that person whether at Enugu, Rivers or Ondo or in Lagos, we are in 2017. We should not because of our politics cause rumor that will destroy our kids.”
Ogundamisi also dismissed the view of the Presidency about the unity of the country, noting that various ethnic groups lived separately before amalgamation in 1914 and that those who wish should be allowed to demand their rights.
“I do not support the idea that we cannot talk about disintegration, I personally do not believe that the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable; the unity of Nigeria is negotiable. Nigeria is made up of ethnic personalities that are more or less state nation.”
He affirmed that Nigerians should be able to have an honest discussion about disintegration, knowing where to draw the line, reasoning that if being together is going to kill more people, Nigerians need to look for ways of resolving the problem.
Mr. Ogundamisi admonished Nigeria youths to be more active and involved in the nation’s politics, as they are the ones who can lead the country back on the right track. He also advised them to shun the hate messages being preached in the country as they can cause havoc.
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