2027 Elections: I will give my support to President Bola Tinubu – Senator Abu Ibrahim

Former Senator who represented Katsina South Senatorial District, between 1991-1993, 2003-2007, 2011-2015, and 2015-2019, Abu Ibrahim has revealed in an interview that he will support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

He equally spoke on his robust political profile having won elections four times to represent the people of Katsina South.

To achieve the feat, the ex-lawmaker said, his understanding of Nigerian politics helped him to participate fully in the formation of a merger of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Senator Ibrahim is a long-standing friend of President Bola Tinubu whom he fully supported, campaigned for and eventually won the 2023 election.
In this interview, Distinguished Senator Abu Ibrahim spoke his mind on some interesting topical issues.

For the past four decades you participated actively in Nigerian politics, what was the political philosophy that guided you in politics?

I entered into politics with the hope and aspiration to serve the people. To serve them better, I realized that I need to understand and know their problems.

Therefore, I opened channels of communication network such that out of the 13 Local Government Areas in Katsina South Senatorial District I was in firm control of 11 Local Government Areas. Through these channels, I communicate with my people always. They don’t need to come here before I know their feelings and aspirations. That is how I was able to win the Senatorial seat four times in my constituency.

I think, I can claim to be one of the best politicians who built people in Katsina State because all those who worked with me have established their businesses, built houses and own families.

Also, I am the first person who has declared not to re-contest for senate in Katsina State after four successful tenure. I took that decision not because I was defeated, but I felt I should step aside and give opportunity to others.

Before I finally decided not to recontest the 2019 election, I had won all the 112 wards in the 2015 general election. It was my victory at its highest peak because I got 500,000 votes, which was the second highest in the country.

But despite all these, I still decided not to re-contest in 2019. The late President Muhammadu Buhari was surprised and asked why I quitted. I explained that having served four tenures and impacted positively on my people, let others take my place.
Obviously, the whole philosophy of my participation in politics lies in effective communication with the people and serving their interest.

You voluntarily quit active politics after serving your last tenure in 2019. Are you satisfied with the performance of those who took over from you?

The issue here is that, to wear somebody’s shoe is not easy. For example, I had told the Senator who took over from me not to imitate me but to always come for advice, when necessary, since my doors are always opened so that I can always help him through. Unfortunately, he didn’t come to me for advice and that is why he lost the seat when he attempted to contest for a second tenure.

What about the present Senator?

We communicate a lot. He comes to me often for advice and discussion on several issues. For example, when he had issue of insecurity in the area, he came to me and we went to see IGP, DSS and the President together for consultations and solution to the problems on ground.

Giving your vast experience in the Senate, spanning over four decades, what area will you advice the 10th National Assembly members to improve upon?

You know that the National Assembly is meant to provide effective good governance through checks and balances. But once the focus is dwarfed or compromised, then there will be no good governance.

National Assembly members should talk to themselves; they should have capacity to say wrong is wrong and right is right. That is what National Assembly is meant to do. This is specifically done though oversight functions. I think they should cherish that tradition and power. They should not allow that tradition and power to be lost, because once it’s lost, there will be no need for the existence of National Assembly.

So, I am advising my colleagues in the National Assembly to make sure that they take their oversight function very serious. The moment they lose it, there will never be checks and balances. It is the duty of the National Assembly to maintain that checks and balances.

However, if the members become too available, too subservient, vulnerable, or too money conscious, they will lose their sight. Look at me, after four tenures, I have no house in Abuja. It is not because I hate to own a house here but simply because I don’t belief I have to struggle too hard to build a new home in Abuja.

In life one has to remain hardworking, honest and doing the right thing at all times. But, when you start deviating from doing the right thing, you will surely get into a ditch.
If you want to make money, go into business and make money legitimately but when you are using public position to make money, that is abuse of office. So, they should take public responsibility serious so as to get blessings from God.

You are one of the politicians close to President Bola Tinubu. How did you meet each other and remain very close till today?

We met for the first time in 1993 in the Senate. He was vocal and I was also vocal so we naturally became friends. He later become governor while I continued as a Senator and the friendship continued till date.

However, we became closer when General Sani Abacha took over as the Head of State in 1993. The first major thing he did was to dissolve National Assembly. Members were disappointed, angry and protested under a new Senate President, Senator Ameh Ebute who replaced Senator Iyorchia Ayu. The then Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu was clearly at the forefront of those protesting the dissolution of the National Assembly.

General Abacha quickly ordered the arrest and detention of the protesting Senators including Tinubu and myself. Later, some concerned traditional rulers and leaders of the North intervened on my behalf and urged General Abacha to release me, which he obliged. However, I declined to accept my release stressing that unless and until Senator Bola Tinubu and other Senators were released, I will not leave the detention house.

Again, the traditional rulers went back to Abacha and persuaded him to release all of us in the interest of peace and unity of the country. All of us were subsequently released. That became the turning point in our relationship as friend. People then saw the spirit of trust and loyalty in me.

In 2023, you were solidly behind your friend, President Bola Tinubu, which he won. Over two years’ down the line, looking at his performances, will you still support him for 2027 Presidential election if APC gives him the ticket?

If I may ask you, is there any person who is allowed only for one term? President Tinubu came with Renew Hope Agenda, and has started well. I recently read an article written by Mallam Tanimu who was the Director General, Planning and Budget.

He said that Nigerian Naira has the capacity to be the strongest African currency in the next five years. He also gave the explanations that Nigerians are making more money from the goods they export and that investors are ready to come into Nigeria for investment because payment in Naira is now cheaper. So, investment is growing, and Naira is coming up stronger. Tinubu administration is in the right path, my support for him, therefore, is intact.

Some politicians are aggrieved, because they believe that Tinubu administration is muzzling opposition in order to bring about one-party system in the country. What is your reaction to this issue?

I don’t believe that the Tinubu administration is muzzling other political parties. I was one of the people who introduced Tinubu to Buhari before his presidential race in 2011. I can tell you that it was not easy to form APC. We were initially looking at alliance not even merger because election was so near. When Buhari nominated his Vice, Pastor Tunde Bakari, without the approval of Tinubu and other stakeholders from the South-West, he lost the election. That was how the alliance in 2011 presidential election collapsed.

It is not an easy effort to form alliance of political parties. I told Buhari that he was going to lose the election of 2011 and he asked me why I said so. I explained to him that he may have the highest votes in the North, but he needed constitutional wider spread and support to win, which he did not have. Secondly, the Vice President he chose didn’t have the supports and approval of stakeholders from that zone.

The struggle therefore to win a presidential election involves a lot of considerations and efforts. Now, some people believe Atiku will come for the presidential election in 2027, while El-Rufai, Peter Obi and others also have presidential ambition. Yet they want to form a new party and win elections just like that? Have they forgotten their individual ambitions? I remember the first day of our meeting for the alliance of political parties for the 2011 election. The first thing on the agenda for discussion was who would be the president. We all agreed then that Buhari will be the presidential candidate of the party and it was also obvious that after Buhari, it will be Tinubu. In fact, Chief Bisi Akande said, “after Buhari it will be Tinubu”. All the stakeholders agreed. If they had not agreed, everything would have collapsed.

In the present situation this people can’t do the same thing we did when we formed a merger in 2015. Atiku will not allow Peter Obi to be the Presidential candidate, Peter Obi will not allow Atiku, same with El-Rufai. To them personal ambition is greater than the goal to be achieved. I can tell you confidently that as lame as PDP is, it has a better chance of bringing out a presidential candidate than ADC. PDP will have their own candidate easily but ADC will not have an easy presidential candidate.

As far as most of us are concerned, we are not worried about 2027 presidential election, if Tinubu should recontest, he will easily and convincingly win the election. This is because, for now, there is no credible alternative presidential candidate that will emerge in other parties that can withstand APC’s Tinubu candidate in 2027 general election.