By Olukayode Michael, Maiduguri
President Muhammadu Buhari has been described as an enigma, who is misunderstood by many in the country.
Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri on Monday, the Deputy Director General of Buhari Presidential Campaign Council, Arch. Waziri Bulama said the president is a statesman who is trying to hit a balance in partisan politics.
He lamented that President Buhari is not a politician’s delight as his politics is more about the good of the public at the sacrifice of personal and partisan interest.
He noted that politics is a mix of three Ps, personal, party and public interests.
He said Buhari however place public interest above the other two, and any average politician would found it difficult to understand his brand of politics.
He said however the majority of those in the All Progressives Congress (APC) have borrowed into his philosophy that politics is foremost about public interest for it is in satisfying public interest that other two interests can be satisfied.
He argued that the president was able to make a mark in the last three and half years because he shunned party and personal interests for public interest and “that has been the key to delivering on his three cardinal promises of tackling insecurity, fighting corruption ,as well as , restoration of the Nigeria’s batered economy prior to the 2015 general elections that ushered in his administration.”
He lamented that prior to the coming of President Buhari in 2015, almost 27 states in the country were not paying salaries, the economy was in tatters and insecurity was the order of the day especially in the North East.
Bulama said but with the coming of Buhari, the economy started a recovery climb, states were able to pay salaries all thanks to assistance from the federal government. “We have moved from salary payment to negotiation for salary increment,” he added.
He said the Boko Haram under the watch of the previous administration , captured over 20 local government areas in Borno state ,with series of attacks and bombings in other states of the northeast, Abuja and Kano states inclusive,
He boasted that in fulfilling his promise , the president came up with a robust strategy, empowered the security forces with equipment to deal decisively with the terrorists, hence the relative peace in Borno and other states of northeast, previously under the terrorists’s attacks.
Bulama said: ” President Muhammadu Buhari is an introvert who don’t talk much. He sees himself as a statesman in politics, hence he is struggling to balance partisanship from statesmanship. His attitude as statesman has seen him shunning ethnic, Party, religious and personal interest in the governance of the country, which is not at par with the ideology of many Nigerian politicians.
“In the next four years of this administration God willing, the president will consolidate on what has been achieved by improving infrastructural development , economy and Agricultural production to ensure that the masses are totally lifted out of poverty. More social investment programme , and youth empowerment through entrepreneurial skills , will be introduced among the youths.
“Nobody is manipulating or stage managing the president as being insinuated, rather, what President Muhammadu Buhari is doing balancing public service from other interests, of which that aspect of Mr President is not understood by many Nigerians. The principles of PMB as a leader is driven by seeing himself as statesman who is ethically driven by what he does. These are fundamental issues with PMB that don’t fit into life of ordinary Nigerian politicians,” he added.
The Campaign deputy director said free, fair and transparent election is a legacy president Buhari will keep down for generations to come , adding from 2002 , the president has been an advocate of free, fair and transparent elections.
“We are not thinking of using the system under our control unfairly. Upholding the rule of law no matter whose ox is gored is one of the cardinal principle of this administration, ” Bulama added.