Bafarawa blames nation’s woes on disrespect for democratic tenets

Former Sokoto State governor and one-time presidential candidate of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, has attributed the challenges facing the country to “our failure to adhere to the tenets of democracy.”

Addressing reporters at the weekend in Sokoto after declaring his intention to seek the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for next year’s general elections, Bafarawa stated that “our penchant for circumventing the democratic system has been hampering our efforts to get it right.”

According to him, democracy dictates that people should aspire from the grassroots up till the top, but regretted that “in our instance, people are brought in to contest for high offices without any previous experience.”

The erstwhile governor maintained that people must pay their dues by passing through training or tutelage else they would not perform creditably.

He likened politics to a profession or business, noting that the likes of Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, started small before moving up.

Bafarawa also decried a situation where political party’s supremacy had been replaced by governor’s automatic assumption of party leadership after election.

This development, he added, has made it impossible for the party to compel government to implement its constitution and manifesto.

On his deal with Nigerians if elected, he said he would run an inclusive government that recognises “we, instead of I, and everyone would have a sense of belonging and commitment.

On his age, Bafarawa said what matters was the requisite political experience he possesses to run a successful government.