Politics
How i rigged primary election for Buhari in 2003 – Former Governor Of Sokoto state, Attahiru Bafarawa reveals
Attahiru Bafarawa, former governor of Sokoto state, says he manipulated the presidential primary of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in favour of Muhammadu Buhari in 2003.
Buhari got the party’s nomination but lost to President Olusegun Obasanjo in the presidential election.
Bafarawa, who was doubling as the party’s chairman then, said Rochas Okorocha was set to pick the ANPP presidential ticket following a mock primary conducted before the nomination convention.
According to him, Okorocha came first, winning 27 of the 36 states and the FCT, while Buhari could only win five.
These revelations are contained in a new book, ‘Politics as Dashed Hopes in Nigeria’, written by Auwala Anwar, PhD, and former special assistant to the president on FCTA from 2004-2007.
The preview copy of the book, published by Safari Books, was exclusively made available to TheCable and will be launched in Abuja on Thursday, January 31.
The book offers an account into the inner workings of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the party founded by Buhari to run in the 2011 presidential election after he had fallen out with the ANPP having failed to win in 2003 and 2007.
‘HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW OUR NAMES’
Anwar narrated how Bafarawa cajoled the state chairmen of the party to support Buhari after they had said they would not vote for him in the primary.
He wrote: “Buhari was not even able to secure all the 7 votes from his geo-political zone (north-west). When Bafarawa saw how dismally Buhari’s performance had been, he not only suspended the meeting for a break but also requested the state chairmen to stay behind for some announcements. He later cajoled the chairmen and explained to them that his preference was for Buhari to emerge the winner. In response, they all assured him that, although they were ready to do whatever he requested, as their leader, they were still not inclined to vote for Buhari.
“On enquiry, the chairmen explained that it would be foolish for them to vote for someone who did not even know their names. They charged that whenever he came across them, the best he could do to address them was to use generic terms of “Mister” or “Alhaji,” depending on whether a chairman came from the South or the North, respectively. They sensed the futility of supporting someone who did not bother to know them while he was seeking for their support.”
Okorocha, they said, had drawn close to everyone of them, even giving them N250,000 each to supplement their travel expenses.
BAFARAWA ‘TURNS THE TABLE’
In an interview with the author, Bafarawa, who is now a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said: “I appealed to the chairmen to change their mind because of the prospects of the party at the polls if it were Buhari that emerged as our flag-bearer. I also directed one of my staff, Abdullahi Bida, a relation to Buba Galadima, to give each of them five hundred thousand naira (500,000). I later called General Buhari to meet me at the Niger State Governor’s Lodge, where I was staying. He came around 4 a.m. together with Sule Hamma.
“I informed him about the efforts I had made to turn the table against Rochas. I also explained to him that I had arranged for a private meeting between him and the state chairmen, later at 2 p.m. Furthermore, I begged him to be patient with all the criticisms and the complaints they would lodge against him.
“Additionally, I gave him five million naira to give them to fuel their vehicles back to their respective states. He collected the money and thanked me for all the trouble that I took to see him through. He later handed over the money to them at the end of their meeting.”
THE RESISTANCE
Anwar wrote: “The rigging of the mock election in favour of Buhari was not without resistance. Some of the southern aspirants, who learnt of the private meeting organised between Buhari and their state chairmen, invaded the venue and accused Bafarawa of nepotism. He responded by reminding them how he also arranged for similar meetings between some of them and the state chairmen.”
Southern aspirants withdrew from the convention, including Nnia Nwodo, now president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in protest.
Nwodo famously made his “my heart bleeds for Nigeria” speech while pulling out from the race at the convention ground.
Obasanjo eventually won the election, credited with scoring 24.4 million votes while Buhari got 12.7 million.
After an unsuccessful second attempt in 2007, Buhari’s associates accused the ANPP governors of betraying him and left the party to form CPC.
Both ANPP and CPC are now part of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which won power in the 2015 elections in an unprecedented defeat of a sitting government.
Breaking: Speaker Obasa Debunks Allegation Of Spending N17b On Assembly Gate
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday described the allegation that the House spent N17 billion on the fixing of a gate as spurious and funny.
A self-proclaimed group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, had accused the Assembly of spending the amount to construct a gate. The group also sought investigation of the claim.
Speaking at plenary, Dr. Obasa said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over 2027 which is still more than two years away.
Obasa further debunked the claim that the House spent N200 million on its recently organised 22nd thanksgiving service for staff.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving that did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.
“This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless. We had our thanksgiving last Friday and dignitaries from various parts of the State attended it,” the Speaker said.
Addressing further claims by the group about the alleged relationship between him and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, the Speaker denied attending the latter’s screening and confirmation by the National Assembly.
“They said that I was at the National Assembly when they were confirming the EFCC chairman. I want to believe that there are CCTV cameras at the National Assembly to identify those who attended the event. The press must have written about it too. So the group should do more to confirm if I was there.
“This is just to deny the allegations in the interest of the public and not the writers because the writers are not those we should be joining words with,” the Speaker said.
Earlier, the House, through its spokesperson, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, had addressed the allegations noting that the Assembly bases its activities on integrity, transparency and accountability.
“It is ludicrous the claim about constituency intervention funds and constituency project funds and their handling by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko as claimed by the group.
“One would have expected a self-acclaimed anti-corruption crusading group to do its groundwork before jumping across the fence with conviction that it hit a jackpot to malign an institution of repute in the name of politics.
“Simply put, the Lagos State House of Assembly does not have any such funds. The Assembly does not embark on constituency projects. Instead, once every year, the House holds stakeholders’ meetings simultaneously across the state where constituents have the opportunity to tell the lawmakers their expectations and make requests for the betterment of the state.
“These requests and expectations are compiled and sent to the executive arm of government for consideration as inputs in subsequent budgets. If this is what the group takes as constituency intervention or project funds, we are sure this explanation has given the required education, moreover, it is common knowledge that it is the responsibility of the Executive arm to execute such projects,” the earlier statement by Ogundipe read.
Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
- World Food Programme (WFP) and the Republic of Madagascar sign a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen food security and transform agricultural systems December 23, 2024
- Advancing Gender Equality and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Response in Malawi December 23, 2024
- An mpox survivor’s tale of hope December 23, 2024
- United Nations (UN) Emergency Fund allocates $6 million to support refugees fleeing Sudan in Egypt December 23, 2024
- Africa’s critical mineral resources, a boon for intra-African trade and regional integration December 23, 2024
- African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) honours Ugandan troops for contributions to Somalia’s stability December 23, 2024
- Agreement in principle reached on Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Zambia for the Promotion and Protection of Investment December 23, 2024
- Siraj Finance PJSC signs an agreement with Azentio for iMAL core and digital financial services solution subscription optimization December 23, 2024
- European Commission provides €1 billion in macro-financial assistance to Egypt December 23, 2024
- Visit of Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri to Mauritius (December 20-22, 2024) December 23, 2024
- World Food Programme (WFP) and the Republic of Madagascar sign a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen food security and transform agricultural systems December 23, 2024
- Advancing Gender Equality and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Response in Malawi December 23, 2024
- An mpox survivor’s tale of hope December 23, 2024
- United Nations (UN) Emergency Fund allocates $6 million to support refugees fleeing Sudan in Egypt December 23, 2024
- Africa’s critical mineral resources, a boon for intra-African trade and regional integration December 23, 2024
- African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) honours Ugandan troops for contributions to Somalia’s stability December 23, 2024
- Agreement in principle reached on Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Zambia for the Promotion and Protection of Investment December 23, 2024
-
Entertainment6 months agoAkanke Amororo: The New Yoruba Movie Everyone Is Talking About + Why People Are Rushing To YouTube To See It
-
Politics7 months agoGov Fubara And One Year of His Signature in Rivers By Nath Odili
-
Business7 months agoFIRSTBANK WINS 2024 BEST SME BANK IN NIGERIA AND BEST SME BANK IN AFRICA BY ASIAN BANKER AWARDS
-
Business5 months agoPROFILE: JESSICA AMARACHI OKU BY CHINEDU NSOFOR
You must be logged in to post a comment Login