 |
| President Buhari and wife Aisha |
Wife of Nigerian President, Mrs Aisha Buhari on Tuesday urged Nigerians to emulate her husband’s doggedness by never giving up on their cherished aspirations.
Mrs Buhari said after several failed attempts, her husband became the nation’s president following his persistence and compassion for the masses.
The First Lady spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, during the launch of a book titled, “Buhari vs Yar’Adua: Facing the future,” written by Mr Opeyemi Soyombo, a Special Assistant on Media to Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State.
Mrs Buhari who was represented by Amosun’s wife, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, lauded the author for documenting the legal struggles of Muhammadu Buhari regarding his election petition challenging the victory of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007.
She said record keeping or documentation is vital to the life a people or nation, adding that without it history stands the risk being be distorted.
The President’s wife noted that there are lots of lessons to learn from the life of her husband who contested presidential election for four consecutive times before he eventually won in 2015.
Aisha said, “there are lots of lessons to learn from the life of President Muhammadu Buhari, most especially his doggedness and compassion for the masses. President Buhari contested presidential election consecutively four times before he eventually won in 2015.
“His victory has paid off considering his passion to helping the masses and most importantly, the successes recorded in the anti-corruption war of his government.
“I commend the efforts of the writer for documenting the Presidential Election suit between the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and President Umaru Yar’Adua of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2007.
“This shows that the author has been following with keen interest elections held in the country and the petitions arising from them. In most recent shared views and writings on human and societal development, the investment made on other people gives tremendous yields; thus the facts and authenticity of the book are invaluable.”
Also speaking at the book launch, a retired judge of the state high court, Justice Ademola Bakre, expressed worry over Nigeria’s future.
Bakre lamented the rot in the Nigerian judiciary and warned against interference and undue pressure in the affairs of judges in the country.
He said the citizens should work out a better Nigeria of their dream, stressing that they must change and desist from demanding a bribe.
Also, the author who spoke with reporters later said he was motivated to write the 179-page book to cast light on the issues of election rigging with a view to pricking the nation’s conscience to forestall rigging in the future.
According to Soyombo, Buhari was short-changed in the 2007 presidential election and that the book canvassed measures “ensure that we have credible, free and fair elections and to ensure that the judiciary, either by design or default, would endorse electoral robbery.”
The book was earlier reviewed by Mr Kayode Oyede of the Department of Public Private Law, Faculty of Law, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos.
