Running mate: I will do whatever Tinubu wants in 2027 – Barau

By Haruna Salami

For the first time, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, on Wednesday , personally reacted to the calls that he should be made running mate of President Bola Tinubu in 2027, saying “I will do whatever the President wants me to do”.

Barau, who stated this while  responding to questions during a press conference on the forthcoming zonal public hearing of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review said whatever the President asks him to do , he will do it 100% .

He said: “Honestly, I don’t want to say anything about this now. Because one point is very clear. Mr. President, since the inception of this administration, has been trying so hard to change the trajectory of the country in a way that will bring prosperity to the nation.

“We all know the problems that he inherited.  And we’ve been working with him – day and night.  Because he’s our father, he’s the father of the nation. He’s open-minded.

“We understand what he’s doing. And I feel that at this time, there’s no point in talking about all these issues (running mate).

“What he’s doing is a work in progress.  I believe that the best thing to do is to continue cooperating with Mr. President and supporting him. Not only the legislature but the entire people of this country should support the President.

“So, bringing this issue is quite premature. That’s why I told those groups; frankly, I don’t know them. I thank them for believing in me. But I told them, look, instead of wasting your energy on things that are not relevant now, channel your resources to support the President.

 “When the time comes, we’ll play politics.  But this time is for governance. This is the issue.

“Mr. President is my political father. You’ll be surprised if I start telling you what he has done for me and my people. So, whenever he asks me to do something, when the time comes, I’ll do it. I’m very loyal to him.

 “You see, Mr. President is a very kind-hearted person. When we had our problem in Kano, he resolved that issue for us. He made it possible for me to be given the ticket to the Senate in 2023. He stood by me to become the Deputy Senate President.

“So, if the time comes and he says, “I want you to work with me,” well, I would say, “Thank you, sir, and I will do it. So, whatever he asks me to do, I’ll do. I’m loyal to him, 100%.

The president is the father of the nation. So, make no mistake. But for now, we stand by him, we are working with him, and we want him to succeed. When he succeeds, we all succeed.

“Our faiths are tied together. Because we come from the same family, we are Progressives, I come from the Progressive fold, where he comes from. We are all progressives.  That’s about my political history. I’m a progressive to the core.

So, we cherish loyalty. I’m 100% loyal to Mr. President. In 2027, I’ll do whatever he tells me to do”.

Earlier at the press briefing , the Deputy President of the Senate said the zonal public hearing of the Senate ‘Committee on Constitution Review will among others , deliberate on 59 bills and 31 proposals already submitted to it .

He added  that further inputs from Nigerians   in terms of memoranda are expected at the public hearings which according to him are to be held in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State for South – South geo – political zone under  the chairmanship of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio or his representative, Kano for the North West geo – political zone under his chairmanship .

Others are , Lagos for South West geo – political zone under the Chairmanship of the Senate Leader , Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele , Jos , for North Central  under the chairmanship of the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Lola Ashiru , Maiduguri for North East  under the chairmanship of the Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno and Enugu for South East , under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chief Whip,  Senator Peter Nwebonyi.