The Nigerian Presidency has rejected assertions by former vice president and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar that President Muhammadu Buhari, is “very uncompromising, also power drunk; (and) who will not be ready to leave power without a fight.”
According to a statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity, in Abuja on Wednesday, Buhari has demonstrated that he is a Democrat even though he retired as a military general.
The presidency pointed out that Atiku’s remarks were contained in a story published by a foreign news outlet.
The presidency statement asserted that the president was uncompromising in matters of corruption and squandering of riches.
It said: “But power drunk? No! And being a man ‘who will not be ready to leave power without a fight?’ Never! Not President Buhari, who has demonstrated in many ways that he is a committed democrat, though also a retired military general. He has no apologies for that. Through a sterling military career, he served Nigeria with his heart and might, before venturing into partisan politics.
“In many ways, President Buhari has wielded power with decency, and as a means of serving the people, rather than for personal ends. If there’s one person not intoxicated by power, it is President Buhari, and scores of millions of Nigerians know this. That is why they will invest him with power again next year, knowing that he won’t misuse or misapply what has been entrusted to him.
“Former VP Abubakar may want to borrow a leaf from the decorous language employed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in answering his recent press statement on the restructuring debate. That is the hallmark of statesmen, and not crying wolf where none exists, which is what the allegation of being uncompromising and power drunk truly is.
“President Buhari is actuated by service to the country, and nothing else. So, there couldn’t be anything like “not ready to leave power without a fight.”
“Indeed, the insinuation of a fight is the mindset of a man who is either undemocratic, or has seen defeat staring him, and his party, in the face.
“Let the former Vice President rest assured that there will be no ‘fight’ over power in Nigeria. Not under President Buhari’s watch. The people don’t want a fight. It is some political leaders we must beseech to eschew pugnacity and mind their language.”
The Presidency posited that “rather than use the name of President Buhari to buoy his bid to get the presidential ticket of a party, whose flag has been flying at half-mast since it got roundly trounced at the polls in 2015, the former Vice President needs be told that the President is truly uncompromising, but only when it comes to looting the common patrimony of Nigerians, and squandering their riches.”
The statement added: “President Buhari is uncompromising in the quest to restore probity and accountability to public office. He is uncompromising in cleaning the rot Nigeria was consigned into pre-2015, thus the war against corruption is being fought without fear or favour. The President is equally resolute in the determination to ensure that Nigeria is no longer a mono-economy, depending only on oil.
“Yes, President Buhari is single-minded in effecting change in every area of Nigerian life. So, Alhaji Abubakar is right, if that was what he meant by the President being ‘uncompromising.’”
In a separate statement, the Presidency observed that social media accounts were being run in the name of son of the President, Yusuf Buhari.
The statement noted that most recent was an Instagram account @ymbuhari, which has attracted thousands of followers, and which has been used to express opinions in Yusuf’s name without his knowledge.
The statement informed the general public that Yusuf Buhari was not on any social media platform, “the public is, therefore, advised to disregard such handles and pages, while those perpetrating the illegality are advised to stop forthwith, as it amounts to impersonation.
“The same advice goes to those running other pages and handles impersonating other members of the family of the President.”
