Frontline PDP Presidential Aspirant, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, met with the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, delegates and other leaders of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Friday as part of his nationwide consultations ahead of the presidential primary of the party.
Turaki who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria vowed that he and others will deploy their legal skill to reclaim the party’s governorship victory in Ekiti State which is a matter before the Election Petition tribunal.
He condemned the deployment of 30,000 security personnel by the federal government to rig the Ekiti State governorship election in favour of the APC when a similar show of force could not be deployed to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges.
The former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs similarly condemned the invasion of the residence of one of Nigeria’s elder statesmen, Chief Edwin Clark by police officers.
“We have never had a government that is so despotic, divisive and discriminatory as the Buhari Administration.
“We will address the issue of state police,” he said, “as part of our determination to address the principle of restructuring from various perspectives such as true federalism, fiscal federalism, devolution of power, resource control, statism and regionalism.”
The presidential aspirant pointed out that the Fayose-led government has been working to provide critical infrastructure which are legacy projects because the governor has vision and he is well educated, young, dynamic and courageous enough to take bold decisions.
Turaki said further that “We need a president with such qualities- a person who can relate easily with other world leaders in terms of knowledge; a person who has no excess baggage of corruption or any other character deficiencies and who will make Nigerians proud. I am that person,” he said, adding: “I am fit, strong and ready to go.”
The chairman, PDP Ekiti State, Barrister Gboyega Oguntuase described Turaki as a tested and trusted person. “We have a positive option or alternative that Nigerians are waiting for,” the chairman said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Fayose while describing Turaki’s Curriculum Vitae (CV) as fantastic and excellent, said “ when we look at the assignments you have carried out, you are not a small man. You have capacity for the job of the president; but power belongs to God.”
Fayose emphasized that it is ‘safer and better’ for PDP to pick its presidential candidate from the North West zone to compete for votes effectively with President Buhari, adding that the primary must be transparent and credible.
He, however, insisted that the South West zone must be well accommodated in the power balancing equation since the party’s candidate and the national chairman are coming from other parts of the country. “If you leave South West out,” Fayose argued, “the election would have been lost before voting.”
He noted that Nigerians now appreciate the difference between credible governance under PDP and failure under APC who are notorious election riggers and are now yearning for the PDP to return to power and rescue the country.
The governor recalled his warnings in 2013 prior to the general elections when he raised the alarm that Buhari lacked the capacity for the job, but that he wanted the position of president just for the sake of it.
He noted that part of the reasons given by Buhari for seeking the presidency was to ensure justice, but the governor noted that instead of justice the president has dished our bitterness to Nigerians.