Katsina lawmakers endorse Buhari in Kaduna

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Members of the Katsina State House of Assembly under the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday left the comfort of their constituencies to move to Kaduna where they announced their endorsement of the presidential candidature of General Muhammadu Buhari as the flag bearer of the party in the 2015 general elections.

Addressing news men in a hotel in Kaduna GRA yesterday, the Minority Leader of the House, Ibrahim Mahuta, representing Malumfashi constituency in the state called on his counterparts in the House

of Assembly, executives at local and wards levels to follow suit by endorsing General Muhammadu Buhari.

Mahuta was also in company of his three opposition members in the Katsina State Assembly, Deputy minority leader, Rabiu Idris Funtua, Minority whip, Shehu Yusuf Daura and Deputy Minority whip, Shehu Dalhatu Tafoki.

“We all know what happened in 2007 and 2011 in the state. And they say a word is enough for the wise. In 2007 and 2011, General Muhammadu Buhari allowed the people to do whatever they wanted and we ended up in struggles, chaos and court cases. We have accepted defeat. We have failed in 2007 and 2011, so General Muhammadu Buhari should intervene to give us direction in 2015. What we are saying now is we don’t want to repeat the same thing in 2015.

“We call on him to this time around give us direction on who to vote for among the various party gubernatorial candidates.

“This is our demand and we call on the members of the National Assembly, Senators from Katsina zone, executives at local and wards levels to also accept General Muhammadu Buhari as a father figure and leader of the party in the state and the nation as a whole to allow him to decide who bears the flag in the state, who to support and vote for as far as the issues of gubernatorial candidates is concerned in APC Katsina state.

“We also called on all and sundry in Katsina State to also accept and agree that General Muhammadu Buhari is a father to us, a leader to us and we should also submit to his decision and advice,” he said.

Reacting to calls from all corners appealing that General Muhammadu Buhari should step down for Atiku Abubakar, the Minority Leader said such a call is but an opinion and that they believe the generality of the masses in Nigeria are behind General Buhari.

“He has more popularity and credibility. And the people are more at home with him. If you see the statistics, for example during the presidential election, if you see the votes of General Buhari and Atiku Abubakar you could not fail to see who is more popular among the people,” he said.