Fmr Gov Bafarawa Cautions President Tinubu Against Anarchy

By Ayodele Oni

“Your ascension to the office of the President was because opposition was allowed to thrive”

The fate of opposition political parties under President Bola Tinubu’s administration has caught the attention of a former Governor of Sokoto state, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa.

In an open letter to the President, Bafarawa, a two term Governor on the ticket of the All Nigeria’s Peoples Party, (ANPP), advised Tinubu, to allow dissent voices in the country in the interest of democracy.

The former governor cautioned that “Anybody who is advising you to muzzle the opposition wants to deceive you into tarnishing your hard-earned reputation as a democrat. 

“Killing the opposition will be harmful both to your democratic records and to the overall political growth of the country. In a country where there is no opposition, democracy dies. 

“Do not allow democracy to die because it is the pillar upon which good governance, peace and progress stand.

“I therefore call on you, Mr President, to shun the temptation of enthroning a one-party order in Nigeria. Nigeria can ill afford a one party arrangement. 

“It is a recipe for anarchy. Rather, sustenance of a democratic order is the easiest route to move a country forward. It is what will enable us to build a country that will be beneficial not only to the present generation of Nigerians but also to generations yet unborn.

“Remember, if those who came before you killed the opposition, there would have been no vehicle for you to get to your present political destination. 

“Rather than scheme to decimate the opposition, it will be better for you to borrow a leaf from the United States, which has institutionalized two strong political parties around which the wheel of democracy revolves. The greatest legacy you can leave as president is to continue to allow the wheel of democracy to roll.

“Your ascension to the foremost political position in the country was made possible because the opposition was allowed to thrive. Those who were there before you gave opposition politics a chance. 

“You are, as a matter fact, a product of opposition politics. You will therefore be making a grave mistake if you allow yourself to be carried away by the temporary power at your disposal by not giving the opposition a breathing space. 

“I urge you, Mr President, to allow opposition politics to be . Do not throw away the ladder with which you climbed to the top.”

On security, Bafarawa, noted that things are yet to improved as expected by Nigerians, and urged the administration to fulfil electoral promises.

“But you will recall, Mr President, that you promised to improve the living condition of Nigerians. You also promised to secure the lives and property of the people. You have a historical responsibility to keep to these all- important electoral promises.

“Regrettably, the situation is still looking bleak nearly two years since you assumed the reins of governance. The blight of insecurity which you promised to curtail is getting out of hand. 

“The economic outlook is frightening. Inflation is galloping out of control. Hunger is ravaging the land. There are cries of anguish all over the country. This slide, Mr President, must be urgently arrested without further delay.”