Follow Us on Google
….Says decision on govt of national unity rests with President
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Senator Kabir Marafa, who represents Zamfara Central at the Senate, has declared that depending on how those in opposition who challenged the election of President Bola Tinubu will behave in the coming days, will determine whether he want to work with them or not.
He said this over the weekend when he fielded questions from State House Corr, after a meeting with President Tinubu.
Marafa, who said he was on a private visit to the President, also challenged the opposition leaders, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), to work together with President Tinubu to advance the country.
He said aside from the fact that Nigeria needs all hands on deck right now, the opposition leaders have nothing more to prove following their legal appearances. This, he said is especially true in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday, which recognised Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
Asked if he thought President Tinubu should form a Government of National Unity (GNU), Marafa said “I am not Mr. President, but I like the way you put the question ‘do you think’? I know Mr. President is a politician and he knows the game very well. He is the one to decide to say ‘now should I go ahead to form a government of national unity like I wanted to or having seen the behaviour of the participants, I should abandon it’?.
“Their behaviour from Thursday, I think, will determine what the President will do. If they take the judgement with open hearts and extend a hand of friendship to Mr. President, I know the President will want to work with everybody. Governance is something that you need all hands on deck to succeed, especially in a complex country like Nigeria”, he said.
On how President Tinubu should relate with those who challenged his electoral victory at the courts, Marafa said “my prayer and wish for them is to bury their differences and join hands with Mr. President to move the country forward, especially given the problems we have across the nation. So, we need all hands on deck now. It is over. They have done what they are supposed to have done. The constitution gives them inherent rights to challenge the victory. But with the verdict of the apex court, the battle is over.
“Like the president said, he is going to concentrate on his job without giving anybody any opportunity to distract him.
So, on their part, I wish they would join hands with Mr. President to move the country forward.
“When I lost the election, I congratulated the person who defeated me. I also promised that the best thing that I can give the people of Zamfara Central is to cooperate with whoever they choose to be their Senator to move the zone forward. Because they elected me twice and I won convincingly in the two elections.
“So, if now somebody says I lost, I think I should accept the fact that in any game, there are winners and there are losers. Yesterday, I was the winner and today, I lost. I should accept it and move forward, tomorrow is another day.
“So, I expect also at national level for our elders to do the same. They have exhausted their rights. So, it is over. Let us now move to building Nigeria. Let us now look at the plight of the masses. You know things are very difficult and hard, which is occasioned by the removal of subsidy, which is a must. I was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Petroleum Downstream. So, I know what is happening in the area. Also, the rate of the dollar is adding to the difficulties in the country.
On the purpose for his visit, Marafa said “the visit is personal, not official. So, I am not going to go in-depth into the discussion I had with my leader, my President and my father.
“First, I was in his office to congratulate him on assuming the office. As you all know I led his campaign in Zamfara State. I was the Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organization in Zamfara State. So, I am part of the success. But typical of my attitude, I don’t poke nose, I don’t become a liability.
“So, after the elections, I was in his house to congratulate him for winning, and to thank him most profoundly for singling me and some very few other people during his acceptance speech. The moment he was announced as the winner of the elections, I think my name and one other were the only Nigerians he singled out to thank for the efforts we put in making sure he won in Zamfara State.
“That was something I will never forget in my life. You do something and you are appreciated, you feel energised to do much more. So, since then, I haven’t linked up with him, and after swearing in, I felt I should give him time to settle in the office and to do the work that he has been elected by Nigerians to do”, he said.
