*says Governors Aliyu, Lamido committed political suicide
Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano state, has applauded President Goodluck Jonathan for his magnanimity by conceding defeat to General Muhammadu Buhari in the March 28 Presidential Election.
The governor commended Jonathan on Sunday while briefing newsmen in Kano, on the outcome of the last Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the country.
“I want to commend the President’s action in conceding defeat. This shows that President Jonathan is a true statesman,” he said.
The governor, who also congratulated Buhari on his victory, attributed the success of the election to the determination of Nigerians to have a change in leadership.
Kwakwanso assured Nigerians that Buhari would run a transparent government.
He said the new administration would fight corruption and provide maximum security to citizens of the country.
Kwankwaso then urged the President-elect, to live up to his campaign promises to justify the confidence reposed in him.
Kwankwaso gave some hard knocks to Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Babangida Aliyu (Niger). He said the duo committed a political suicide by not defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In November 2013, five of the seven governors called G7 in the PDP – Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Ahmed Abdulfatah (Kwara), Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) – defected to the APC.
Lamido and Aliyu refused to join them. Nyako was later impeached.
According to Kwankwaso, if the duo had not been selfish, they would not have been embarrassed by voters in Jigawa and Niger states during the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections.
“The problem of Sule Lamido and Babangida Aliyu is that they made a mistake by not coming to APC with us. I am sure they are loved here more than in the PDP. The truth is that they are not trusted there, and the results of this elections have shown them that they made a huge political mistake.
“They went into parallel direction with their people. Thank God Sule didn’t contest any election; but the results have shown how unpopular their decision was. It would have been unthinkable for Babangida Aliyu to lose election on the platform of APC but see the kind of blow Nigerlites have given him. They would have been more important leaders if they had joined the APC”.