Former Nigerian military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) has said that it would be unpatriotic of him to stick to his 2011 vow not to contest for the presidency again.
He said his major frustration then – the lack of a mega party capable of wresting power from the PDP – has been resolved with the formation of the All Progressives Congress while at the same time the indices for the good life for Nigerians have gone from bad to worse.
“I am concerned about the deterioration of the economy and security in the country, among others, and therefore, I want to offer my services to arrest the situation”, he said in a letter to some power brokers and stake holders in Nigeria on why he had rescinded his decision to hang his political boots.
“Just before the 2011 elections, which I contested, I said publicly, in a fit of pique, that that was my last outing as a presidential candidate. Days after that statement torrents of delegations, starting with one from Niger State led by Alhaji Umar Shu’a ibu, then chairman of CPC, including a serving senator, three members of each House of Representatives and Niger Sate Assembly expressing strong opposition to my intentions.
Another delegation from Kano State, led by General Abdulmalik Jibrin consisting of delegates from most of the local governments in the state came to express similar views. Since then, hardly a week passes without a concerned group or individuals visiting me and arguing that I was wrong to leave competitive politics.
“The stock answer I have always given is that we should first build a bigger party, a viable political platform before I could summon the courage to change my mind. In the meantime, all the indices of good government have deteriorated: insecurity, unemployment, power, failures, educational standards, health standards, the justice system.
Wherever you turn, governance has taken a turn for the worse. Above all, corruption has taken a life of its own eating into every institution and every sector.”
Noting that the situation in the country has become so bad that something needed to be done, Buhari added: “As responsible citizens all of us have a duty to contribute in whatever way we can to put our country in order.”
The former head of state recalled his dictum while in power 30 years ago that “Nigerians have no other nation than Nigeria”, saying that current happenings in the country “require even greater resolve and efforts to put our country in order. We face today not only a security situation pretty much out of control, but an economic situation dire because of disparity in incomes and opportunities. In the circumstances we all ‘have to do something’” to help our country.
“With the challenges the country is facing, it will not be good, therefore, for any patriot to stay away from the effort to change the situation. In the face of such a situation, one cannot say ‘I am tired’ and wash his or her hands off responsibility. Fatigue is not an option, in the face of injustice.”
“Since 2003, successive PDP governments, having rigged themselves into office have become bolder in trampling on the rights of Nigerians; corruption is their capital and force, their raw-material. The populace is becoming increasingly impoverished with unemployment, especially youth unemployment at an alarming rate and with the dire security situation social cohesion is under grave threat.”
Gen. Buhari stressed that it was the unsavoury situation that had compelled him to decide to once again ask his fellow compatriots for their votes to enable him contribute his quota to the redeeming the fatherland.
“If my appreciation of the situation is correct, then no patriotic person will shy away from responsibility. I believe APC, as it now stands, is capable of dislodging the PDP government, in a free and fair election.
“Accordingly, after extensive consultations I am putting my name forward to my party, APC, for nomination to contest the presidential election in 2015. With the wealth of capable individuals in the party and the discipline and competence we can bring, we can make a radical change for the better to our country.”
He identified security, education, transportation, economy and strengthening weak institution as his major priorities.