Sunday, January 16, 2005

At Arewa London Forum, Buhari Berates Obasanjo's Govt
FROM TUNDE OYEDOYIN, LONDON

EVEN as he is currently battling President Obasanjo and his governement in the court room, former head of state, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari has challenged Nigerians to query the government on how it has been running affairs of the nation.

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At a parley with some members of the AREWA Association UK/Ireland in London, penultimate weekend, the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the 2003 elections, lamented the state of Nigeria's economy and said that most of the Arewa Association members visiting him were residing overseas because "they are victims of economic mismanagement."
Specifically, Buhari urged Nigerians to compare what he left in the national coffers during his reign as a military dictator between December 1983 and August 1987 with what is presently available.

Buhari, according to a source at the meeting, said it was regrettable that a big concern like the Nigeria Airways has had to close down and parastatals providing essential services such as NEPA and NITEL are not effective.
He compared Nigeria to Ghana and asked, "why is it that Ghana has a growing economy and Nigeria doesn't," and traced the problem to the managerial inefficiency of the Obasanjo administration.

The source disclosed The Guardian that Buhari, "challenged people to investigate how much was left in the government coffers at the time he left and what is left today and to also query what the money has been used for."
Buhari, who is embroiled in a dogged legal tussle challenging the victory of President Obasanjo in the April 2003 presidential election, blasted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for masterminding a fraudulent election.

Condemnation was also heaped on the Obasanjo-led government for "how they have carried out the art of governance."
Buhari said General Obasanjo's admission (both verbally and in writing) that Chris Ngige, the governor of Anambra State told him that he (Ngige) did not win the election and consequently, Obasanjo's use of the word, 'armed robbers' to describe Ngige and Chris Uba, was "an indictment on the PDP, on Obasanjo."
And thus, "a vindication of his (Buhari's) position and subsequent court action that election did not take place in several states of Nigeria."
Buhari asked Nigerians to take their political responsibilities seriously and to emulate the people of Kano State who refused to be cowed by any political threats." (The people of Kano are reported to have surrounded and threatened to destroy the INEC office should they announce any result that was contrary to the actual outcome of the 2003 election).

On the recent loss of his legal fight against the ruling PDP at the Appeal Court, Buhari affirmed that his lawyers were preparing to give evidence and justify their claims at the Supreme Court - that elections did not hold in several states.

Buhari, who revealed that except when he was overseas, he was physically present at all the court hearings on the case, is hoping that the "Supreme Court will take into account all the evidence" in reaching an appropriate verdict.

He also used the opportunity of the parley in London to clear the air on the issue of Sharia Law, for which he is constantly being criticised.

Though he may have taken a stand on it, Buhari "challenged people to look at his personal and career records in order to find out the truth about his relationship with Nigerians of other faiths."
He said he has always had more Christians than Moslems as aides, even when he was Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

When The Guardian contacted him - before leaving for Nigeria on Thursday - at a private Mayfair residence where he stayed, Buhari said he would not make any additional comments until he got back to Nigeria.

"Since the matter (election petition/appeal) has already gone to court, I wouldn't be saying anything," he stated.

He also described the ruling party's current crisis as a "PDP affair," without elaborating.