2011 PRESIDENCY: BUHARI CAN'T STOP ME – SHEKARAU

Buhari
Presidential aspirant and Governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau yesterday declared that the ambition of General Muhammadu Buhari to contest the presidency in 2011 would not in any way dimish his chances of winning the election.

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential aspirant also said the departure of the former Head of State from the ANPP helped to put the party in a better position to reorganize itself with a view to facing the challenges of the future.

Governor Shekarau who spoke through the Director General of the 'Shekarau For Nigeria Campaign Organization,' Alhaji Khaleel Bolaji said the presence of the former Head of State in the party was a minus for the growth and stability of the main opposition party.

Alhaji Bolaji said Governor Shekarau wanted to rule Nigeria to effect the desired change in the country as against the business of non-performance and nepotism which had been the order of the day in the past 11 years.

The Director General further said for Governor Shekarau to have successfully governed Kano State with a population of about 12 per cent of the entire country for a record two terms means that there is so much he has to offer the nation.

According to Bolaji; 'Governor Shekarau has remained the only person that has governed Kano State for two terms since the creation of the state. It goes to show that he has so much to offer considering the enormous work he carried out in the state.'

Alhaji Bolaji stressed that the departure of General Buhari from the ANPP could not in any way be a threat to the presidential ambition of Shekarau, noting that the presence of the former Head of State in the party was more of a liability than an asset.

Alhaji Bolaji who spoke at a pre-declaration of intent press conference in Abuja noted that by the time Buhari joined the ANPP, the party had nine sitting governors adding, however, that by the time he decided to leave the party, there were only three governors left.

In the words of Alhaji Bolaji, 'General Buhari with every due respect was not an electoral asset to our party. It is a different game with Governor Shekarau who has been building and galvanizing the structures of the party for a greater future.

'Mallam Shekarau wants to offer himself for service in order to salvage the country from the stranglehold of the Peoples Democratic Party, which has not produced any positive result for the people of this country.

'We want to make Nigerians proud of their country again. We want things to work in the country. We want Nigerians to have the basic things of life. We want Nigerians to feel the presence of government at all levels and not just sloganeering. That is the desire of the Shekarau for Nigeria campaign.'

Alhaji Bolaji described Governor Shekarau as 'one of the most detribalised Nigerians,' adding that he was determined to bring his knowledge of the country to bear in governance.

'Governor Shekarau as a teacher, who rose to become the head of association of principals, knows every part of this country and their problems which he will tackle if elected,' he said.

The Director General of the Shekarau for Nigeria Campaign Organization explained that with the zoning problem in the PDP, the ANPP remained the only viable platform for Nigerians to put their trust, stressing that with the volume of work in terms of infrastructural development, Governor Shekarau stood a better chance to rule the country.

The Kano State Governor is scheduled to formally declare his intention to contest for the Presidential ticket of the ANPP in Abuja tomorrow after which he is expected to proceed on a nationwide tour to sensitize supporters of the party of his intention before the national convention of the party which has been slated to hold between September 17th and 18th 2010.