Politics
2011: Shekarau Joins Race For Presidency
Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State has declared his intention to run for the presidency in 2011 on the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) platform with a promise to engender change.
Shekarau, the only governor that has served two terms in Kano State, made the declaration on Thursday in Abuja at a ceremony organised by “Shekarau for Nigeria Project 2011” group.
According to him, 50 years have gone in the history of Nigeria as a country since independence, and it is therefore time for a new beginning for the nation.
He said the aspiration for a new and better Nigeria could be achieved only when Nigerians “elect a leader who cares, someone whose only interest is to build, whose only interest is to raise Nigeria above everything associated with corruption.”
“A leader whose only interest is to fight poverty and implement policies that will create employment, whose only interest is to put the country on the path of growth by restoring confidence in our system and by honouring our commitments.
“It is with great humility that I offer myself for this selfless service,” he said.
The ANPP presidential aspirant said that it was a common knowledge that Nigerians of every standing and circumstance were struggling relentlessly to improve their lives.
He noted that the entire country “is yearning for an operating environment that is rule-based and transparent’’.
Shekarau also said that the attitude of the components of the society in any nation depended largely on the qualities of its leaders.
“Citizens of a given nation cannot manifest a higher degree of discipline than their leaders.
“Nobody will contest that Nigeria in the First Republic possessed more sense of brotherhood and general decorum than we do today,” he noted.
Such landmark leadership, he noted, was achieved by people like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnmadi Azikwe and others who displayed laudable virtues and values with the fear of God.
He declared that attitude ”left the colonial masters in no doubt about their sincerity of purpose and commitment to service of the people”.
According to the governor, the attention given to structural development in the place of attitudinal change in Nigeria “has left us with wider roads, but with narrower viewpoints, more degrees but less sense”.
“We planned more but accomplish less. We learn to rush but not to take our turn. We attempted to conquer outer space but not inner space.
‘We build taller buildings but with shorter tempers, so much that our apex law-making citizens could resort to exchange of blow while at work, instead of ideas,” he said.
He, however, argued that if Nigeria got its act together it could change the world.
“In order for that to be accomplished, however, we must take responsibility; we must participate in this new Nigeria enterprise, we must moblise and organise as groups, as communities and professionals and elect responsible leaders at all levels,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the people to come together and elect him as the president to build a better Nigeria.
“With great humility I present myself as one in your number who is committed to provide the kind of leadership you have been yearning for, if you elect me as your president in 2011,” he declared.
In his comment, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Olu Falae, described Shekarau as a performer who transformed Kano State, that was known for riots and social unrest to a peaceful and stable state in the past seven years.
“I have told him more than once that I truly believe in his ambition to be president, which is motivated by his sense of patriotism and commitment to the unity and progress of Nigeria,” he said.
The former Secretary to the Federal Government, said “the true characteristic of a true progressive movement is its commitment to welfare of the average citizen through policies and programmes”.
“The people of Nigeria deserve better progressive administration than what PDP government has inflicted on them,” he said.
The former presidential candidate on the AD/ANPP ticket called on all progressive parties to field a single list of candidates against the PDP in all elections in 2011.
“I wish to seize this opportunity to call on the leadership of progressive parties to agree to attend a summit of leaders to work out modalities for this historic alliance after Ramadan.
“Consultations are ongoing about the timing and venue.
“I hope and pray that we will not let Nigeria down by failing to reach agreement on this historic platform which is the only way to put the PDP out of business for many years to come,’’ he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has not registered any new political parties.
The commission gave the clarification in a statement on its X (formerly Twitter) handle last Wednesday.
It described the purported report circulated by some online social media platforms on the registration of two new political parties by INEC as fake.
“The attention of INEC has been drawn to a fake report making the rounds about the registration of two new political parties, namely “Independent Democrats (ID)” and “Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM)”.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the commission has not yet registered any new party. The current number of registered political parties in Nigeria is 19 and nothing has been added,” it stated.
The commission recalled that both ID and PDM were registered as political parties in August 2013.
INEC further recalled that the two were deregistered in February 2020 in accordance with Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The commission, therefore, urged the public to disregard the said report.
President Bola Tinubu has asked Governor Hyacinth Alia to work more for peace and development of Benue State, saying he was elected to govern, not to bury people.
The President said this while addressing stakeholders at the Government House, Markudi, last Wednesday.
He also called on the governor to set up a peace committee to address some of the issues in the state.
The meeting included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, traditional rulers, and former governors of the state.
The governors of Kwara, Imo, Kogi, Plateau, Ondo, and Nasarawa states also attended the meeting.
“Let us meet again in Abuja. Let’s fashion out a framework for lasting peace. I am ready to invest in that peace. I assure you, we will find peace. We will convert this tragedy into prosperity,” he said.
President Tinubu urged Governor Alia to allocate land for ranching and directed the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security to follow up.
“I wanted to come here to commission projects, to reassure you of hope and prosperity, not to see gloomy faces. But peace is vital to development.
“The value of human life is greater than that of a cow. We were elected to govern, not to bury people”, he stressed.
He charged Governor Alia on working with the Federal Government to restore peace.
“Governor Alia, you were elected under the progressive banner to ensure peace, stability, and progress. You are not elected to bury people or comfort widows and orphans. We will work with you to achieve that peace. You must also work with us”, he said.
In his remarks, Governor Alia appealed to the Federal Government to establish a Special Intervention Fund for communities affected by repeated violent attacks across the state.
“Your Excellency, while we continue to mourn our losses and rebuild from the ashes of pain, we humbly urge the Federal Government to consider establishing a special intervention fund for communities affected by these incessant attacks in Benue State,” he said.
Governor Alia said the fund would support the rehabilitation of displaced persons, reconstruction of destroyed homes and infrastructure, and the restoration of livelihoods, especially for farmers.
He reiterated his support for establishing state police as a lasting solution to insecurity.
The governor pledged his administration’s full commitment to building a safe, stable, prosperous Benue State.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of the Benue State Traditional Rulers Council, Tor Tiv, Orchivirigh, Prof. James Ayatse, praised President Tinubu for being the first sitting President to personally visit victims in the hospital in the wake of such a tragedy.
He thanked the President for appointing notable Benue indigenes into key positions, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, while expressing hope that more appointments would follow.
Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (ret’d), says the Aburi accord collapsed because Chukwuemeka Ojukwu wanted regional governors to control military zones.
Gen. Gowon was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1966 until 1975 when he was deposed in a bloodless coup while Ojukwu was military governor of the then Eastern Region in that span.
In a live television interview recently, Gen. Gowon narrated what transpired after the agreement was reached in Aburi, a town in Ghana.
The meeting that led to the accord took place from January 4 to 5, 1967, with delegates from both sides of the divide making inputs.
The goal was to resolve the political impasse threatening the country’s unity.
The point of the agreement was that each region should be responsible for its own affairs.
During the meeting, delegates arrived at certain resolutions on control and structure of the military. However, the exact agreement reached was the subject of controversy.
The failure of the Aburi accord culminated in Nigeria’s civil war, which lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970.
Speaking on what transpired after the agreement, Gen. Gowon said the resolutions should have been discussed further and finalised.
The ex-military leader said he took ill after arriving in Nigeria from Aburi and that Ojukwu went on to make unauthorised statements about the accord.
Gen. Gowon said he did not know where Ojukwu got his version of the agreement from.
“We just went there (Aburi), as far as we were concerned, to meet as officers and then agree to get back home and resolve the problem at home. That was my understanding. But that was not his (Ojukwu) understanding,” he said.
Gen. Gowon said Ojukwu declined the invitation, citing safety concerns.
“I don’t know what accord he (Ojukwu) was reading because he came to the meeting with prepared papers of things he wanted. And, of course, we discussed them one by one, greed on some and disagreed on some.
“For example, to give one of the major issues, we said that the military would be zoned, but the control… He wanted those zones to be commanded by the governor.
“When you have a military zone in the north, it would be commanded by the governor of the military in the north, the military zone in the east would be commanded by him. Of course, we did not agree with that one”, Gen. Gowon added.
Ojukwu died on November 26, 2011 at the age of 78.
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