It was last week, while reading a newspaper, I came across a story of Kogi State House of Assembly endorsing the Governor of the State, Yahaya Bello, as 2023 All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential candidate.
The Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly, Matthew Kolawole was saying the youthful and energetic nature of governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State deserved to be President Buhari’s successor.
The lawmaker was pointing out that in the history of the country, North Central has never produced the Elected President of the country.
This statement has forced me to write and address the general public in order to boldly sort out my opinion about an expert on ‘conflict resolution’, that is the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.
It’s on record too, Northeastern part of Nigeria has never produce a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and again, Mai Mala Buni is also a youth and energetic in nature without mentioning his qualities of being a mediator.
It’s, indeed, one of the qualities of a leader to embrace indifferences, ending the blame game and eschew bitterness and of course being tolerance, there’s no doubt to this assertion that this is what the Governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, is doing to silence his critics.
If I can recall, on 25th of June 2020, Mala Buni was appointed as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and he promised to carry all tendencies along in order to restore peace to the party. This was after reminding the journalist that he was being a two-time National Secretary of the party, and he knows the party very well and assured every APC member that they’ll do justice to everyone because he has a capable team.
He said: “I am a team player and I am here to manage a crisis and if you do not manage crisis, crisis will manage you so without justice there will be no peace, so I am ready to do justice to every APC member”.
It was also amazing that Buni went to the secretariat in accompany of some APC governors including Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Sani Bello (Niger), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna) Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), which is something unusual amongst our politicians considering the political derby and this has clearly pictured that Buni is someone that is friendly and embraced by all.
Recently, APC caucus reappointed Mai Mala Buni as caretaker National Chairman for a period of the next six months; but here I have to say that, why not endorse him as the Presidential candidate of the party ahead of 2023 election?
Permit me to say that, the man Mai Mala Buni is someone that is an expert when it comes to conflict resolution. We cannot deny the fact that since assumption to the office as the Caretaker National Chairman of the APC he managed crises and also silenced its members from making critics.
The decamping of Ebonyi state Governor, Dave Umahi, former Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Yakubu Dogara, Senator Ishaku Abbo of Adamawa state and the likes is a great sign that Mai Mala Buni will manage Nigeria as we all know that he is good in convincing people and he has listening ears to worthy advice, suggestions and those qualities will help him in promoting peace and unity of the country.
He also said during his inaugural speech as the Governor of Yobe state that: “There will be no room for distractions or diversions and other sentiments or promotion of personal interest against the collective interest of the people of Yobe”. I believed that he will apply same when elected as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mai Mala Buni’s uniqueness in conflict resolution has turned Yobe state to one party system and ended the internal crisis in his party, It’s obvious that anybody who will eschew bitterness and rumor mongering will definitely succeed in running the affairs of his administration and there’s no doubt he is unique in negotiation, mediation, mediation-arbitration, diplomacy and creative peace builder.
Astonishingly, I observe that Hon. Mai Mala Buni silenced some popular critics in the party like Sen. Kabiru Marafa and APC National Vice Chairman Northeast, Comr. Mustapha Salihu, and I believed that if the caucus of the party will endorse him as President Muhammad Buhari’s successor, the party will remain united.
I also believe that Mai Mala Buni will address and manage the lingering Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, rampant kidnappings and create employment opportunities, youth empowerment, tackle corruption and many more in the country as people of Yobe State witnessed since he resumed into office.
– Abdulmumin Kolo Gulani writes from Damaturu, Yobe state.
07064230285
