Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 said he and other PDP Governors were not worried by the age of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, but by the “age of his ideas.”
Speaking at the PDP Governors Forum meeting in Lagos, Governor Akpabio remarked that General Buhari’s ideas were old and lacked the competence to succeed in Nigeria.
He said: “Today, General Buhari, like in 1983, is boasting as an anti-corruption crusader, even when surrounded by people of questionable means all in an effort to cajole the electorate ahead of the forthcoming general election.
“Interestingly, the party that is parroting anti-corruption slogan is epitomising corruption in all it’s ramification. Questions that come to mind are, who are the people talking about corruption in the opposition? Who are the main financiers of the opposition? How did they make their money? We cannot fall prey to the same old trick, Nigerians are wiser today.
“We are aware that some people have complained about the age of general Buhari, but we don’t see anything wrong as governors of the PDP with general Buhari’s age if he thinks he can withstand the rigours of the job, of the presidency,” Akpabio said.
“There is nothing wrong with his age, but we are extremely concerned about the age of his ideas, we are concerned that a man who could not take charge when he was in his 40s but rather bequeath to historical infamy a regime named after two individuals, Idiagbon-Buhari Regime ,instead of one person as used to be the case.”
Also speaking was Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, who said unlike other PDP Governors, he has a problem with General Buhari’s age.
Governor Fayose said: “I don’t agree with my chairman on the age of Buhari because me I have issues with that.
“Buhari is too old and you will not see such a president more than once in two weeks because he is weak. He is not a replacement for President Goodluck Jonathan. Sicknesses, problems come with age. I am not after Buhari because he is my father and anybody who is the age of your mother is your father.”
Also present were Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Aliyu Babangida of Niger State, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State, Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gomber State and Adamawa State Governor, Bala Ngilari.
