Buhari Will Lose to Jonathan, Says FCT Minister

As more reactions continue to trail the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as the All Progressives Party (APC) presidential candidate, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, has said he is confident that President Goodluck Jonathan would once again defeat the former military leader at the polls in 2015.Also, the minister formally announced his withdrawal from the governorship race in Bauchi State ahead of the February 2015 general election in the country.

The minister who spoke at a press conference at the weekend in Bauchi, described Buhari as a “permanent presidential aspirant” of the opposition who has contested three times and lost, saying that Jonathan is not afraid of meeting him again at the polls.

According to him,” We are not people who encourage people to be violent because they want to win elections. We are not going to join issues with anybody who is just a permanent aspirant just for running for the presidency. We have a template, we have a road map. We have a vision and we know where we want to be and certainly we are not afraid of anybody. We respect Nigerians and we respect leaders. We are not like the other parties who abuse leaders. But with all humility, I assure that in 2015, we will be swearing in Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as president.”

He noted that the current president has done well and should be given another chance to consolidate on the gains recorded so far, adding that, “Mr. President has come up with a transformation agenda and he is working hard to make sure that he brings major and tangible achievements to Nigeria and the citizenry. You have seen it in all the MDAs, even in agriculture he has done so well. In the economy we are today the biggest economy in Africa.”

He further explained that “the president has done well as a tested technocrat who has risen through the ranks from a teacher to a deputy governor, to a governor, vice president and then a president and these positions have been tested.”

The minister who said that he withdrew from the Bauchi State gubernatorial race in good faith, urged his teeming supporters under over 1000 groups that initially urged him to run not to be discouraged and accord the same support to the party and the president.

“Now it is time for me to tell my teeming supporters with all humility and appreciations that I will no longer be running which is very obvious because somebody has emerged from the PDP to contest the position,”he ”said.
The minister thanked his supporters for their concern and called on them to support the PDP in all elective positions from the president downwards as according to him, when these elective offices are secured, every Nigerian is secured.

Senator Bala Mohammed at the briefing in explained that politics is not about personal exploit or endeavour, but rather the desire to offer services to the people by way of adding values to their lives.

“I have no money or resources to show appreciations for the kind of love that has been shown to me by the people of Bauchi State, I thank them most sincerely for the support, but certainly, I’m not the person running for the governorship of Bauchi State,” he said.

Source: ThisDay