Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin who hails from Kano State, represents Kiru/ Bebeji Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. He is the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and in this interview with some journalists in Abuja, Jibrin bares his mind on why he supported Governor Rabiu Kwakwaso for the All Progressives Congress, APC presidential ticket, why he has now changed his loyalty to the President- Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, retd; why he wants to be the speaker and his relationship with Femi Gbajabiamila among other salient issues. Excerpts:
What do you think gives you an edge to be speaker and what is your relationship with your other colleagues?
I came into the House four years ago and I have been chairman of the finance committee since then. I have participated in a lot of parliamentary investigations. I’ve served in a lot of ad-hoc committees and I’ve been in the centre of everything that has happened in the last four years. I’ve mastered the rules of the House. I understand the dynamics of working and leading equals.
Some people say that the problem with your aspiration is that you’re from Kano State and the president-elect is from Katsina State in the same North West; how do you marry the aspiration with this?
In the first place I think we are getting the interpretation of the zoning completely wrong. The president is not supposed to be zoned; he is the president of Nigeria. General Buhari was never presented as the candidate of the North West; he was presented as the candidate of Nigeria. He is supposed to be neutral and not show bias to any zone.
The whole idea was for the president to emerge first. After the emergence of the president, then the six geopolitical zones will now sit down and distribute whatever positions that are left, particularly those of the parliament. I think we need to get this properly right.
So, it was never zoned to the North West. Yes, of course Mr President will be very proud that he is from the Northwest, but this idea of trying to exclude the Northwest from other offices because the president comes from the zone is very unfair and is tantamount to blackmail and I don’t think anybody should blackmail the Northwestern part of the country.
We have the largest contingent of state assemblies’ members, the largest contingent of senators and the House of Reps, and we gave the highest number of votes in the presidential election. Now if you exclude us, what do you want us to tell our people? What do you want us to go back and tell all the people that gave all those votes to the president? The president is for the entire country, so, we want other offices that we’ll take back to our people for them to be able to hold back to something. We don’t want to see the president-elect as that of the North.
You talk well of Buhari now and it is surprising given that you openly opposed his aspiration to be APC presidential candidate and that you wanted somebody younger; when did you change?
A lot of people have come up to say to me that during the build up to the APC presidential primaries I was an ardent opposition to the general. Of course I did that without any apology. They said it is a sharp contrast from my present position with the kind of totality of support I’m giving Buhari and also mobilizing people to extend same support to him.
In the build up to the primaries, I was supporting my governor, a very great Nigerian Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and I particularly mentioned the issue of age because Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has that comparative advantage of age over General Muhammadu Buhari, and I thought age is also a factor. That was why I made that statement then and I meant it and wanted Kwankwaso to win the primaries, but we went and met all the delegates in Lagos. They voted massively for General Buhari; we came second in the race and the party collapsed all as one and we became a family.
Since then, I’m sure you never heard me again criticizing the president-elect. He is ours and we’re going to give him 100 percent maximum support from the point of view of legislators to ensure that he delivers all the promises that he made to Nigerians during the campaigns. I have no issues with the president-elect, but I also have no apology for the position that I took then.
Based on what you said, will it be safe to say your aspiration is now subject to the zoning formula of your party?
Of course I have said that and maybe if you want an emphasis, I have said it very clearly. Every right thinking leader and member of the APC should support whatever zoning formula of the party, because if you don’t, it is going to set the party on a very wrong footing, and the foundation is going to be faulty; we’re going to have all sorts of problems. That is not what we want.
Of course I have said that and maybe if you want an emphasis, I have said it very clearly. Every right thinking leader and member of the APC should support whatever zoning formula of the party, because if you don’t, it is going to set the party on a very wrong footing, and the foundation is going to be faulty; we’re going to have all sorts of problems. That is not what we want.
FELL FREE TO COMMENT.
No comments :
Post a Comment