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Former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, and an anti-corruption crusader, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav has called for the removal of immunity being enjoyed by state governors while they are still in office.
Making the call in an interview with TUNDE THOMAS, Tsav noted that many state governors are hiding under the immunity clause or using it as a cover to commit fraud and other crimes which should not be allowed to go unpunished.
How would you react to the recent campaign and declarations by some prominent Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari would run for a second term?
That campaign is a complete distraction. It is uncalled for now. Most of those involved are doing it not because of their love for Buhari but they are doing it to promote their own interests. It is too early for some people and groups to ask or declare that Buhari should seek a second term in 2019. We are still in 2017, and these selfish politicians have started talking of 201; these people don’t love Buhari – they are distracting Mr President.
While President Buhari is still battling with some daunting challenges confronting his administration, and doing his best to resolve them, it is unfortunate that these people are distracting him. Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and others involved in this project should leave Buhari alone. They should allow him to do his work.
Buhari has been doing his best trying to fix Nigeria, and the man is on the right path, but if care is not taken, El-Rufai and others, through their actions may derail Mr President from focusing on his set goals. Buhari should ignore these self-serving campaigners and continue with his good work. When the time comes in 2018, it is Nigerians on their own that will prevail on Buhari to seek another term based on his performance.
What all those who call themselves Buhari’s lovers are doing is not new. You saw them in each administration. They sing praises of any government that is in power not because of their love for the president in office but just to protect and feather their own nests. They were there during Babangida, Abacha, Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.
But I can vouch for Buhari’s integrity. The Buhari I know will not allow any praise singer to derail or distract him from achieving his set goal. I’ve known President Muhammadu Buhari since he was a second lieutenant in the Nigerian Army, and that was several decades ago. Buhari is a man of honour, dedicated to his duty, he will not allow any group or individual to stampede him. Like I said earlier, Buhari is presently doing very well and he is on track. My advice to him is that he should continue working to deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
I think those who have suddenly come up with this idea that Buhari must run or would run in 2019 are doing so because they are not happy or felt bad by the recent open declaration by the former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that he would contest the presidential election in 2019.
But I don’t see why that should be anybody’s headache, if Atiku wants to run, no problem, it is his democratic right to do so. Some people should not use that to distract Buhari and his government.
But some Nigerians are saying that the President should have spoken out on the activities of the Buhari for 2019 campaigners, what’s your take on that?
Buhari is a busy man, a man that is fully occupied with his work, how do you now expect him to start talking about these people. Even the Buhari I know is very reticent. Buhari is a man of few words but full of action.
Again, if Buhari comes out to make any categorical statement on these campaigners, that will amount to another form of distraction. Buhari’s comments will immediately become another subject of national debate, and that’s another form of distraction. So the best thing for Buhari is to keep his peace and continue with his work.
But on personal note, what’s your own view? Should Buhari run in 2019 or not?
For me, it is too early to start talking about 2019 – why should we be talking about reelection when the election year is still far away? That has been one of the banes of democracy in this country. You elect somebody for a term of four years, and the man has resumed work, but barely two years into a four year term, you are already asking the man or declaring that the man would run for another four years. This is very unfortunate, and it has been dragging us backwards. It is not Buhari they would first do it to, that’s what they have been doing to others before him. But I advise Buhari not to fall into their trap, he should just continue with his own work.
As to whether Buhari should run in 2019, why not? Constitutionally, he is eligible to seek a second term in office, but campaign for that should not start now. If Buhari is strong and physically fit to continue, then he can seek reelection. I’m even very optimistic that it is based on Buhari’s performance that will make Nigerians to urge him to seek a second term in office and not because of the clamour by some praise singers.
One major problem with Nigeria is the bane of good leadership, but Buhari in his own case is different. Buhari epitomizes good leadership. Buhari is like a lion, and you know that when a lion enters the forest, other animals will shiver. Buhari is not corrupt and he is incorruptible, and this is why many Nigerians like him. Many Nigerians see in Buhari, a man to sanitise Nigeria – I pray that Almighty Allah gives Mr President good health and make him very strong because Buhari still have a lot to offer Nigeria. So, all these things El-Rufai and others claiming to be pro-Buhari supporters are doing is unnecessary, Nigerians love Buhari and they know what he is capable of doing.
What is your advice to Governor El-Rufai
He should leave Buhari alone. El-Rufai and others in his group are distracting Buhari. El-Rufai should face governance in Kaduna State and allow Buhari to do his work. El-Rufai is distracting Buhari by asking him or saying that Buhari would run in2019. It is too premature to be talking of 2019 now.
What El-Rufai doesn’t know or realize is that even though he and his fellow Buhari for 2019 campaigners are claiming to be Buhari’s friends, but in actual fact, they are doing a lot of harm to Buhari through their action and pronouncements. But what I know is that Buhari is not a man that anybody is capable of maneuvering through praise singing. He will do whatever he wants to do.
That’s why I even laugh when some people say or claim that Buhari is weak, and that a certain cabal has influenced him. Buhari is not somebody that can be easily manipulated. He is somebody that believes in doing things right.
The recent comments by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Jumai Al-Hassan declaring her support for former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar openly has become a subject of debate. What is your take.
What the woman did was not good. Although she is entitled to her own opinion, and has the right to support any candidate of her choice, but it is not possible to serve two masters at the same time.
This woman is still in Buhari’s cabinet, but now she is openly declaring her loyalty to Atiku, what does that tell us? That’s complete disloyalty. She should have been given the red card. I even expect her to have resigned before being fired. I don’t know what she is still doing in Buhari’s cabinet. She should resign honorably.
What Nigerians or even members of Buhari’s cabinet and Mr President may not know is this; Jumai Al-Hassan has become a big security risk to Buhari’s administration. She should go.
The danger of retaining her or allowing her to still hang on Buhari’s cabinet is that for the administration, there is hardly any secret that can be kept again because the possibility is that anything discussed at the cabinet or the caucus meetings, Jumai Al-Hassan can go and reveal it to her godfather, Atiku, especially where matters affecting Atiku’s interests are involved. Al-Hassan should be sacked because she can no longer be trusted especially where issues involving Atiku and Buhari are at stake.
What’s your assessment of President Buhari’s administration’s war against corruption so far?
The war against corruption is going on fine. Unlike before, fear of Buhari has now made Nigerians wary of corrupt practices. They know that if they get caught, they will face the music. But my worry is that this war against corruption seems to be selective. So far what we have been seing is the arraignment of more PDP people while APC members are hardly touched.
Corruption involves everybody, there should be no discrimination. It should not be seen as if members of President Buhari’s party, APC are being spared. What we are witnessing now is that when some politicians are put on trial for corruption, it would look as if the trial is going to be pursued to a logical conclusion but the moment such politicians defect or decamp to APC, that’s the end of the trial. This should not be so.
Are they even telling us that APC members are not corrupt, especially those of them that decamped from PDP to APC? The only difference between APC and PDP is Buhari. The moment you remove Buhari, APC and PDP are the same. The moment you remove Buhari from APC, then APC and PDP are the same.
