In this interview with ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU, a former National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change and a key figure in the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Buba Galadima, warned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar against running in the 2027 presidential election. He also claimed that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is merely a placeholder for Atiku in the Social Democratic Party

How do you assess President Bola Tinubu?s APC administration in its handling of the country?s affairs so far?

Well, you see, I don?t want to give an opinion on an administration until it has completed half of its term, which is two years. By that time, you will be able to know exactly where the administration is headed. However, it is no secret that people are being pushed to the wall because things are getting out of hand. Prices and hardships are affecting people very hard. Recently, we have seen a significant slowdown in the cost of commodities, which many people attribute to secret importation by friends of the government. We have yet to confirm that, but it seems likely because things cannot suddenly come down like that. Even with that, you can?t run an economy based on friendships or a system of favours; you must make hard decisions if you are convinced that such decisions will eventually yield a positive impact on the populace. For now, we are observing, and by May 29, we will be able to form an informed opinion.

As a member of the New Nigeria People?s Party, it seems all is not well with your party. What is happening?

Everything is well with my party. What is wrong with my party is that some people within the APC, the ruling party, are trying to cause commotion, not only in my party but in all parties. If you see the way they treat us in Kano, you will cry for the country, because they made sure that even the governor does not function. They withdrew security support for him, and some private individuals have more security coverage than the government of Kano. Whatever the governor wants to do, they will create a parallel organisation to do the same. I have never seen where someone deliberately causes such hatred for a constitutionally organised government as the APC government is doing to Kano State. If they think that by doing this, they will force Kano people to vote for them, I think they are wrong. They are only creating mortal enemies for themselves. Every Kano man is politically conscious. Everyone knows that if they don?t get the dividends of democracy, it is the APC government denying them that. They are also trying to buy some of our members by giving them money. I know one senator recently from Kano, one of our senators, said on public television that the APC government gave him N90bn worth of projects to execute in his constituency to help them undermine the government of Kano. This was said publicly. I am not accusing them; they know they do that. You?ve seen the recent judgment on the Kano Emirship, and you know better than anyone that the Federal Government has nothing to do with chieftaincy or traditional issues in any state. Even their boy, El-Rufai, has said that now. I am not the only person saying it.

In recent weeks, some members of the NNPP, including serving senators, representatives, and other key stakeholders, have joined the ruling APC. Do you think your party is gradually losing its strength?

No, nobody left our party. We expelled them because, as far as we are concerned, no one can hold our party hostage. It doesn?t matter what level of influence or position they hold; we can dispense with anyone. You should know that in 2019, without a single councillor, member of the House of Representatives, member of the House of Assembly, chairman of a party, former governor, or former senator, NNPP National Leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, single-handedly defeated all the former governors of Kano, including the then Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. We defeated them outright in Kano. Afterwards, they used their position to take over our victory, but we left that to God because we were not prepared to fight at that time. In 2023, they attempted the same, but when they saw the people?s resolve, they abandoned their illegal plans. For us, nobody is indispensable. The people of Kano know exactly what they want, and whoever can deliver those things for the common man doesn?t need an army of former governors, former senators, serving senators, or serving governors to win.

There is a belief that Kwankwaso is using the NNPP to safeguard President Tinubu?s interests, similar to what he allegedly did in 2023.

There is no single politician today who is as popular as Kwankwaso or has been liked by an ordinary man like Kwankwaso. That is why all these efforts to destroy him and all the efforts to neutralise him have not succeeded. Some people have been paid to propagate this. If you have a friend like the APC to the NNPP, do you need an enemy? Have you seen the ways they are trying to destroy our party and how they are trying to destroy our government in Kano? So you are now saying that they are our friends, that they are working with us, or that we are working with them. And they don?t even let us sleep, even manipulating the judiciary, manipulating the security agencies, all against us. This insinuation was planted to discredit us.

Former Kaduna State Governor, El-Rufai, has been advocating for a coalition movement through the Social Democratic Party to challenge President Bola Tinubu. Have you been approached by his group?

Well, not El-Rufai himself, but some of his associates, including the chairman of the SDP, visited me. We had a lengthy discussion, and I shared my views with them. I am confident that my perspective will prevail because El-Rufai cannot lead an opposition. It?s simply the law of karma catching up with him. He is used to going into an established house and taking it over, but now that he?s trying to build from scratch, he will see how difficult politics can be. I don?t think he will succeed because he lacks a track record in public relations and doesn?t have the trust of the people, as he has wronged many. This will be the downfall of the SDP itself. Additionally, El-Rufai is merely a placeholder for someone else who is expected to take over the party. He does not own it. We know exactly who the true owners are, and they, too, carry baggage from their past actions towards other politicians and governors. They won?t succeed with this approach. You can?t try to take over a government out of anger. El-Rufai cannot lead because no one trusts him. He has a history of betrayals, and that will follow him. He has made many harmful statements and hurt countless people, and in fact, he has hurt God in several ways. I don?t believe God will allow him to succeed. It is only an insane person who does not understand politics or has no history who can follow El-Rufai. He is only after his own interest; once his interest is not there, he will ditch you. He has ditched a lot of people; he ditched Atiku, he ditched Obasanjo, he ditched Buhari, and he now ditched Tinubu. So, someone with this kind of record, I don?t think if you are sensible, you will follow him. Unless, of course, they are also like him, they committed one offence or the other before, and God wants to gather them in one place and destroy all of them. I don?t think there is a need for them to gather behind El-Rufai. It is even too early; perhaps they should allow President Tinubu to focus more. That is why we don?t want to comment. I said that until after they reach the second year in office, we don?t want them to claim we are not allowing them to work. So, we want them to work for the people, and let me tell you something, and forever keep it, even if I am dead, that no opposition runs a marathon race. The opposition doesn?t, it?s a sprint, a 100-meter dash. El-Rufai is starting early. By the time it is the third year, he must have been dismembered. It?s because he?s not a politician, or because God is pushing him because of the bad things he did against the people to suffer.

Any idea if some of these bigwigs have contacted Kwankwaso for a possible coalition?

So many people have been talking to Kwankwaso. I must confess, even El-Rufai spoke to him. Several people, and there are a lot of other guys. You see, it?s just because El-Rufai jumped the gun. A lot of people are doing underground talking. And that is what it should be. If you are talking about a coalition, you should be looking at the middle of next year, not now. This government that I know will dismiss all of them. You have to start when they have no power to control you. And the people might have seen their inner workings, their weaknesses, and their strengths. That?s why I say, because El-Rufai is not a politician, and he is following his mind because he didn?t get a ministerial appointment, that is why he has to fight President Tinubu. You don?t do that in politics. We believe that it?s not yet time. We are also looking at a coalition of like minds based on ideology, so that we just don?t take government for the sake of it.

Considering the Peoples Democratic Party, with which your R-APC allied in 2019, what is your view on how things are unfolding in Nigeria?s leading opposition party?

The PDP has been destroyed completely; it is irredeemable. We have three identifiable groups within the PDP who are fighting for the soul of the party: the Minister of Federal Capital Territory group, which is determined to destroy the party; the governors? group; and the weakest group, which is Atiku?s group. That is why Atiku is afraid of being stranded. El-Rufai is now jumping to go and become a placeholder for Atiku so that if he?s booted out of the PDP, he will go to the SDP and become a candidate. So, as far as I am concerned, for this election of 2027, the PDP is out of the question, because Wike will never allow the party to stand on its feet, and he is influential; he dictates what happens in the judiciary. Or don?t you believe that? Go and read the new judgment against the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, and the move to investigate Peter Odili after 18 years since he left office. If you look at it very well, you will know who is behind it.

What is your view on the efforts by Atiku and others to return power to the North in 2027, despite the unwritten agreement of eight years between the North and South?

I don?t discuss the North and I don?t discuss the South when I speak on democracy. Okay. If Tinubu is finishing and has done well, and Nigerians decide to vote for Seyi Tinubu, I have no grudge, provided there is a free and fair election. I have no grudge because that is democracy. And anybody who tells you there is any understanding or agreement between the North and South, tell him he?s a liar. And he doesn?t understand what democracy is. He doesn?t understand what politics is. That is why I want anyone to volunteer to tell me about one person who sat with another person from another part of the country to discuss the gentleman?s agreement. I want that person, please, just one. As far as I am concerned, I am talking about democracy, I am not talking about North and South. Also, I think Atiku should not contest in the 2027 election, this is my personal view. For me I could have thought that people have been supporting him since 1992, which is 33 years ago. It is also now time for him to support other people from whichever region he thinks is the best candidate for the job is from. I am not implying about North or South; other people supported him. He?s now getting old, and he would not be as sharp as expected. So, for me, Atiku should rest and anoint somebody who can even unify his political family structure, or he can promote his son for progress. Yes, if he is qualified. He is a Nigerian. Or is there anything that stops his son from becoming president? What they are doing with El-Rufai and the SDP will be an exercise in futility. El-Rufai is not a good salesman whose face you should put forward in the scheme of things.

In all these, what advice do you have for President Bola Tinubu?

I am sure if you ask him, he won?t deny that I am his friend, because on several occasions, I have advised him, and it worked for him. I want to tell him that it is counterproductive to destroy the opposition. It is counterproductive because when you destroy every institution, when you start to fall, you will fall from a cliff and knock your head on the rock. So, it is better to allow people to vent their anger, to vent their ideas, to vent whatever they have, so that you now have a feel of what is happening in the country. He should not rely on security agencies feeding him lies. (The PUNCH)

Update news