By | ISAIAH BENJAMIN
Former head of state and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 general elections, General Muhammadu Buhari, has said that Nigeria may experience a revolution in the years ahead unless there is social justice to all and sundry.
He averred that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) does not believe in and accept social justice, and that the revolution could come in one form or the other, but hoped that the PDP would be strong enough to go through the consequences of its injustice.
General Buhari stated this yesterday in his speech as the special guest of honour at the empowerment programme of a CPC member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, Usman Bawa ABG. He called on other elected members under the CPC umbrella to emulate the gesture of the legislator.
Hon. Bawa, as part of efforts to empower the people of his constituency, donated 12 cars, 66 motorcycles,30 generators, 45 grinding machines, 60 Talia machines, 40 sewing machines,35 knitting machines, 30 pumping machines, and 121 assorted chemicals for producing detergents, perfumes, creams etc, to selected party faithful and executives.
General Buhari stated: “we know that we were rigged out in the last election; nothing can happen unless there is justice. The question of the PDP and its leadership is that they don’t accept social justice. If there is no social justice, in a question of time, there will be a revolution in one form or the other.
“After the last general election, we went as far as to the Supreme Court. But, after that, with what happened in Kogi, Adamawa and Sokoto states and the bye-elections, we believe that the PDP leadership is not prepared for real democracy and social justice. And I hope they will be strong enough to go through the consequences of their injustice.
“I want to speak of what happened in Igabi constituency: members of CPC in Kaduna State, the elected members of CPC in the Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly were all there to educate people in Igabi and made sure that there was free and fair election and the CPC won.
“What I am advocating is this: for the local government election and 2015 general elections, God willing, every local government and constituency must behave like Igabi. If you don’t want to win or you want to remain as slaves in your own country, then, you can go home and sleep; otherwise, if you must fight for your rights, you must wake up and ensure that justice is done. You must make sure that your votes count.”
Buhari, who frowned at the rate of corruption in Nigeria, cited examples of revelations of corrupt officers in the ongoing hearing on pension funds and the oil sector.
“To prove to you that there is not going to be justice under PDP and its leaders, look at what happened in the hearing on petroleum resources in the National Assembly and the pension fund. People were dying for lack of payment of their entitlements while others are syndicates of thieves, with people stealing and keeping money in their houses up to the tune of N2billion”.
He warned: “By 2015, whoever steals public funds has automatically sentenced himself to death. What I said before, I still stand by it: ensure that you are there when election materials are distributed.Protect the materials, escort the materials and prevent every form of rigging, if you want justice politically come 2015, otherwise the situation we are in will continue to deteriorate.
Meanwhile, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) yesterday said the replacement of General Mohammadu Buhari by Malam Nasir El-Rufai is not true. The party has refuted the report made by a national daily on Saturday, April 21, 2012 that the party has replaced its leader, Gen Buhari for the 2015 presidential race.
The National Secretary, Malam Buba Galadima who disclosed this to LEADERSHIP SUNDAY, described the report as misinformation and intention to destabilize the party and should be discarded.
Galadima said: “The report should be discarded, as a misinformation and intention by the PDP to destabilise our party. The party is not aware of this replacement as reported. We want the public to discard the report, because it is not true”.
Malam El-Rufai is even part of those pressurizing Gen Buhari to join in contesting the 2015 presidential polls. The report by the national daily stated that Buhari recently said that the party should begin a search for his replacement ahead of 2015 presidential polls while receiving party leaders who paid him a solidarity visit.
Buhari Isn’t A Democrat – PDP
By | STANLEY NKWOCH
Former military head of state and the presidential flag-bearer of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) General Muhammadu Buhari has been described by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as a a non-democrat who has never hidden his disdain for elected government.
Reacting to a statement credited to General Buhari where he said revolution was imminent, the national publicity secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, said Buhari’s statement was a product of election loser.
“Buhari’s statement did not come to us as surprise. It is a sure sign of frustrations over his inability and that of his party to win elections.
“However, what revolution is Buhari looking for?” The statement asked. “If after truncating democratic process in 1984, General Buhari today enjoys the fundamental tenets of democracy as in freedom of speech which he denied Nigerians, what revolution is greater?”.
“What is revolutionary, “the statement continued,” is the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan: his bold steps in returning our great country to the visions of our founding fathers.
What is revolutionary is the passage of the Electoral Act which facilitated general elections adjudged by local and international observers as most credible in our recent history.
