No! Nigerians voted PMB, not anyone else

Before delving into my subject, let me ask God’s forgiveness for believing that only GMB can change the country without  seeking Allah’s guidance. Some of the most important qualities of a  leader includes integrity, accountability, empathy, humility, resilience, vision, influence, and positivity.  In order to be an effective leader, you must think about people and […]

Before delving into my subject, let me ask God’s forgiveness for believing that only GMB can change the country without  seeking Allah’s guidance. Some of the most important qualities of a  leader includes integrity, accountability, empathy, humility, resilience, vision, influence, and positivity.  In order to be an effective leader, you must think about people and situation facing them.

Maybe Mr. President has easily forgotten that his mandate was hard fought and won. Nigerians overwhelmingly voted him with the expectation that finally a new dawn will commence on May 29, 2015, which will take into account several decades of indifference and exclusion.

Less than two years of Mr. president’s stay in office precisely in September 2016,  Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai sent  a 30-page  powerful memo to President Muhammadu Buhari. In the letter, he dismissed former Secretary to the Government of the Federation as not only inexperienced in public service but lacking in humility, in addition to being insensitive and rude. “The Chief of Staff is totally clueless about the APC and its internal politics at best as he was neither part of its formation nor a participant in the primaries, campaign, and elections,” El-Rufai said. Also in 2017, the former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Emmanuel Kachikwu had written President Buhari following insubordination and illegal award of contracts at NNPC under Dr. Maikanti Baru. The letter, which was written by Dr. Kachikwu detailed how Dr Baru took wholesale decisions to make appointments and award contracts without any communication to the board, which Mr Kachikwu was chairman.

Before this open internal wrangling within President Buhari’s kitchen cabinet were issues, which  had long been subject of public speculation; with casual reference made by most political watchers who allude to the existence of a de- facto president within the presidency that is ruling the country and not the person we voted to administer the country.

This long speculation by Nigerians was proved right with the  recent leakage of a memo written by  National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) to President Buhari and  published by Premium  Times, an online medium. For long, ordinary Nigerians knew there was lack of coordination and intelligence sharing between security agencies and other stakeholders in the administration.   Let President Buhari remember he is the person the Nigerian electorates entrusted with their mandate and not any other person, and as such, it is highly insulting to the sensibilities of Nigerian people for an unelected person to be exercising the mandate of the office of the President.

Even though PMB had said everything should be channelled through the Chief of Staff, this implied that Buhari has given him limitless power and he can do anything.  This directive indirectly  recognises his Chief of Staff as his de- factor  ‘Deputy President’  and even using it  in   sacking aides, while knowing fully that both President and Vice President received same mandate of 15 million votes and PMB is doing nothing.

For the umpteenth time, Nigerians insist that the usurpation of Presidential powers by an unelected official, no matter how close, to the corridors of power in Aso Rock, stands rejected by the people. President Buhari must immediately put a stop to this if he does not want to absolutely erase whatever is left of the goodwill he previously enjoyed, but which has now been frittered away by his lethargy and the activities of those taking advantage of their closeness to him.

The survival of Nigeria and its citizens’ wellbeing are greater than any person and  If Mr President  feels that he is too weak or tired to take charge of governance, which he is elected to do by the people, the best alternative for him is to do the needful;   rather than subject the nation to ridicule by allowing  his CoS to hijack the machinery of governance in the country, particularly tampering with the nation’s security.

Let Mr. President remember that leadership  is a responsibility bestowed on him by God and as a Muslim,  he should know that he will account for every deed and he will appear before Almighty Allah in chain on the day of judgment. Our beloved Prophet said  “There are seven categories of people whom God will shelter under His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His.  [One is] the just leader.”(Saheeh Muslim)

Dukawa  a public affairs analyst and commentator can be reach at [email protected]