Wants law that will allow all cases in election to be dispensed with before inauguration
An All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts and an elderstatesman Senator Alex Kadiri has cautioned the newly sworn in President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remain focused and shun nepotism that were the greatest albatross of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday over the successful inauguration of President Tinubu, Kadiri who was a senator that represented Kogi East from 1999 to 2003 said Buhari failed because he lost focus few days after he took the oath of office in 2015.
On his advise to the new President, he said he expects him to be focused because what happened to Buhari was that he lost focus barely few hours after he was sworn in.
“He should be focused, he should stay away from Nepotism, stay away from settling for the rich and abandoning the poor. The poor are more in number in our country and any attempt to ignore the poor then the rich cannot sleep.
“The rich cannot continue to sleep if the poor remains awake.
Once he remains focused, he should remember that there are more people in this country than the south west where he came from. Let him realise that there are more people in Nigeria other than the Yorubas.
He said in the last government for eight years, Nepotism was the order of the day.
He expressed misgiving over the election that brought in Tinubu saying he does not agree with the process. “I wish the new government brought about by my party APC is inaugurated after the cases are dispensed with, although I don’t agree with the method throught which the victory came about.
“There are many issues that have not been cleared about him as a person. In any election, these issues ought to have been addressed. Each of the issues is capable of preventing anybody from being sworn in as the president of the country, what is his actual name, which schools did he actually attended. Where did he actually work, what is the source of his finances, did he bribe the electorate to vote for him to subvert the electoral process.
“These are issues that in other climes, must have been addressed before anybody stands for election, here we sweep them under the carpet, that has always been our lot but like I said I wish him luck since God has made it possible for him to become President.
“In other climes all cases are finished with before anybody is sworn in but here we put the Cart before the horse.
“We are now going to expect our judges to tell us tomorrow that Tinubu is not qualified to be President?
He therefore advocated for amendment to the electoral laws in a manner that all cases would have been dispensed before anyperson can be sworn in.
“The whole thing started from the electoral law, all issues pertaining to presidential election should be dealt with and dusted before anybody is sworn in.
“Our judges despite the fact that they have their shortcomings, this particular situation we have put them in is very difficult position.
“I will 81 years next Month, I am worried about those who are much younger. I never believed that our country will go down the way it has gone, I never believed that my party’s President will bring the country to the level it has gotten today.
“I am only praying that things improve. I had a benefit of a good education, I attended good hospitals, I have been eating good food but my children can not enjoy all those facilities today. I used to travel to my Village almost every week but now to do that every 3 months or 6months you have struggle to get security or anything at all.
“The insecurity is so high that you need to go and hire body guards or policemen, they are available for such things. Go around is now impossible.
“Like I said, I wish him luck, whether we like it or not we now have a President produced by my party. The point I am making, as an 80 year old man, whether anybody like it or not I am telling you what I feel about the situation. I am not a happy person.”