President Jonathan is Still Learning, He'll Do More if Re-elected –Bafarawa

Former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, who left APC, a party he formed with others just because the governor of Sokoto State, who humbled him in the last election decided to join APC, has been singing a different song since joining the PDP.

Because he has been criticising President Goodluck Jonathan strongly in recent times, he still could not praise him comfortably now. Below are the thoughts he shared with journalists on Jonathan.

What prompted your defection to the PDP?

Joining PDP was not my decision it was the decision of my people. In joining PDP, we are looking for  change for the better. I was in the opposition to protest against injustices being done to my people and ensure that justice is done. I was not in the opposition just for the sake of being in the opposition. All I was trying to do was to make sure that things were done the right way because in the constitution of any party, there must be internal democracy.

On whether the enlarged PDP will welcome his ideas.
Yes! The PDP is a national party. In the last 16 years I have been opposing the party but when I decided with my people to join PDP, automatically, they started giving us the same treatment like those that founded the party unlike other political parties that will meet the owner and take it away and give it to a new member. So, when you sit down and compare the two, you can see that PDP is more national than any other political party in the country.

On the day I joined the PDP, I went to Abuja with my people to see the national chairman and he told us that we were all equal. And look at what has been happening since then — there have been signs of togetherness, unity and brotherliness. Look at the caliber of people that came to Sokoto to celebrate with me and my people and accept us into the party. The president, vice president, senate president, national chairman and members of the NEC, serving governors, and even former chairmen of the party were all here to welcome us into the party. So, you can see the difference within two weeks.

On allegations that he left the APC, which he helped to form because the leadership took the party structure from him and gave it to Governor Wamakko. We are not quarreling with anybody in APC. All we are saying is, let us follow the rules of the game. If you are playing a game and there is no rule to guide it, then there is a problem. And as a leader, I cannot just be dragging myself when I know that I am leading millions of people. If I know that things are not being done well and I continue to be dragged into the ship and I know that the ship is going to sink on us, then there is a problem. Therefore, my people decided that we have to change and we changed. That is what is expected of a leader and that is why we joined the PDP. I only hearkened to the wish of my people.

His assessment of President Jonathan’s performance in the last four years.
My assessment of President Jonathan’s performance will be different from anybody’s assessment because I was once in office as governor. Sometimes it is not the leader that is weak but those who are giving him support. If someone had people who are not qualified to help him in the running of affairs, he will not succeed even if he has a great vision. 

The leadership of our great country is not a one-man show; it is a collective responsibility. So, for anybody in government to succeed, you must have people who are capable and knowledgeable to help you do the job.

So, I don’t assess Jonathan as a failure because he needs to be assisted. Nigeria’s problems are not for one person to tackle; it’s a collective responsibility.

Jonathan is still in the process of learning; he had experience as deputy governor, governor and vice president. Being a governor of Bayelsa is different from being the president of the country. Within the last four years, he has gained a lot of experience. If he goes for a second term, I believe he will do better than he did in the last four years.

So, experience people like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Diezani Allison-Madueke are not helping him enough?