Mike Ahamba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has said that the appointees of late President Muhammadu Buhari took advantage of his ailment to destroy the country.

Ahamba, who was one time late Buhari’s lawyer, said that the administration of the late leader didn’t perform well especially after his six months in the hospital.

The lawyer who spoke with Daily Independent in an interview lamented that the last administration failed woefully in the areas of economy and security, stressing that Buhari was no longer completely in charge after his ailment.

Ahamba said that he drew close to the late president hoping that he would instill discipline during his reign especially in the area of corruption but regretted that it was not achieved.

He said, “I went close to him, believing that he could do something in the area of indiscipline in Nigeria. Unfortunately, I cannot say that he did that during his tenure. I want to say this, from the depth of my heart, I do not solely blame him for it.

“Those responsible for it are still around. I have my reason. My reason is that the Buhari that came out of hospital, though the same natural Buhari, was no longer the same in performance. A lot of steam had gone off. He had to stay in hospital for six months. And people around him took advantage of it and destroyed this country.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain spoke on the 2027 election and urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free, fair and credible election.

He also spoke on the importance of quality leadership, stressing that wealth is not qualification for competence.

He said, “The way forward is that people should stop seeing an opportunity of service as an opportunity for self-aggrandizement, that’s number one. Number two, the common man in the street should stop seeing wealth as qualification for leadership. Thirdly, the average Nigerian should realise that a single Nigerian has the capacity of changing the economy.” (Daily Independent)