‘Why Buhari deserves second term’

 

Former national woman leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Dr. Ramatu Aliyu spoke with some reporters in Lagos on why President Muhammadu Buhari deserves reelection and other issues. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE was there. Excerpts:

Can you share your experience from the 2018 National Convention of the APC in which you contested as national woman leader?

It was a worthwhile experience. I have since put the negatives behind me and decided to focus on the positives. In spite of the challenges, the party came out of it alive and we are getting stronger by the day.

It doesn’t have to be about me. You win some, you lose some. We have to play politics with maturity. No bitterness and that is how life should be.

Why did you lose the election?

There will always be theories for those who do not believe in the power of destiny. I have also heard other theories to the effect that I lost because my Governor was against my return. So how many theories will one react to?

At the end of the day, my firm belief in the will of the Almighty allows me to be at peace with myself and by extension my party. I remain fully committed to the same goal of ensuring the success of President Muhammadu Buhari, especially with the elections around the corner.

The concern now is how to put in more efforts for our President to re-emerge in the forthcoming election so that he can continue with the good works.  And we have been mobilising people, not just women before now and we are still going round to strategise.

 What is your assessment of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in the last three and a half years?

Very high. When you look at security, economy and anti-corruption which form the tripod upon which we ran a successful campaign in 2015 then you will see why I rate PMB’s government highly. Nobody is saying we are 100 percent, far from that.

But success is not merely a function of how high you have gone, but also of how low you are coming from. This administration has pulled us out of recession, doused the insecurity in the country, confronted corruption in high and low places and has frontally embarked on a massive infrastructural rejuvenation across the country. We can do more, but already we have so much to be proud of

Do you think the President stands a better chance ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar?

Absolutely. With everything PMB has achieved in the past three and half years with even meager resources, a lot of Nigerians can see beyond the propaganda of the PDP. How would they return to power without disparaging the President?

But we are not distracted by their desperation. PDP and its candidate have nothing to offer Nigeria beyond a return to the dark alleys of corruption and insecurity. Nigeria has moved on for good.

What is your assessment of the inclusion of women in the present administration?

I get this question a lot and my answer is generally not too dissimilar on each occasion. We can hardly ever have enough women in government to be honest. Under this APC administration we have women occupying key positions in the cabinet as well as other parastatals.

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Of course we’ll keep asking for more but I am proud of the effort of the current government thus far. At least , I can boldly say more women are coming out with boldness , they are ready to serve, eager to make an impact.

Considering the serious opposition mounted by Atiku, will it be different from what we had in 2015?

The set circumstances which led to the ouster of a sitting government in 2015 are markedly different from what is obtainable today under this government.

In 2015, Nigeria was for all intent and purpose in a limbo. Key indices like security, economy and infrastructure were all looking bleak. Nigerians had to come together to effect a change of government.

Today most of these indices are looking better and things can only get better from here. So Nigerians have no need to go back to our “collective National vomit”.

We are moving forward and thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari, a role model and a father figure to corrupt free minds.

How will the APC fare in Kogi State despite the reported government under performance?

Well, for starters we need to clarify the general elections in Kogi would not include the governorship elections and therefore, the President can be judged by Kogites on his own merit; which we generally agree is stellar.

Kogites stand a chance to continue to benefit from the numerous interventions and programs of the APC led government like the N-power, Tradermoni, school feeding and bailout funds. So I urge all Kogites to rally behind APC in the overriding interest of our beloved state.