Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto
Former Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, on Monday expressed optimism that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would return to power in 2019.
Shekarau made this known to journalists shortly after the 22nd annual Ummah Convention with a theme: ‘Agriculture: A Panacea for Nigeria’s Economic Recession” in Sokoto.
He expressed optimism that the PDP would overcome its challenges before the 2019 election.
Shekarau, who is also a former Minister of Education, described the imbroglio in the PDP as a challenge which would be resolved very soon, adding that the PDP would soon bounce back.
He noted that the ongoing squable in the party would only strengthen the PDP leadership to restrategise ahead of 2019.
According to him, it is premature to comment on his next political move, as his preoccupation is the unity of the party.
“I cannot comment on my next political move at the moment. Right now we are trying to fix our party and make it stand firmly because of its internal wranglings.
“I am assuring you we will come out of these challenges stronger and adequately prepared for the next general election.
“In fact, I have no doubt that all things being equal, we will reclaim all the states we lost to the APC and the country,” he stressed.
He stated that the creation of states was a serious setback to the nation’s development because of lack of uniformity in decision making and implementation.
The former governor observed that the efforts of states and the federal government in the area of agriculture were not enough to remove the country out of the wood, adding that there must be a body such as marketing board, to coordinate their activities which would bring about cohesion and even development.
He emphasised that the Kano groundnut pyramid wouldn’t had been possible without the Northern Nigeria Marketing Board at the time.
He pointed out that this coordination was very necessary for economic development and lack of it would only make the nation’s efforts fruitless.
The former governor observed that when Kano State banned the Almajiri, people kept trooping to Kano for the same purpose because there was no such policy in other states.
“So in a situation where there is no uniformity in decision making and implementation nothing will work because all the tiers have their individual limitation. The federal government cannot make policy on fertilizer for the state and vice visa,” he averred
He noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) lost some of its cases in the court because it was hasty in prosecuting them.
“If you rush anything it would ultimately crash. The EFCC lost the cases because it was in a hurry to prosecute them without conducting a proper investigation,” he said
Shekarau however, declared his support for the ongoing fight against corruption and advised the federal government to be just and fair to all.
He maintained that injustice would only lead to anarchy and national calamity.
Shekarau also urged the federal government to improve on the welfare of security agents in the country, as they are critical stakeholders in the crusade.
“They are the ones conducting all these investigation and if they are not well fed they could compromise,” he added.
