A member of the House of Representatives, Shamsudeen Dambazau, has said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, is physically fit to be president, urging Nigerians to vote for him in the forthcoming general elections.
According to Dambazau, who is representing Takai/Sumaila Federal Constituency in Kano State at the House, Tinubu has proved his fitness by dancing to ‘Buga’, a hit song by Nigerian pop singer, Kizz Daniel, which has its unique dance style.
Several prominent Nigerians, including the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, have been seen singing and dancing to the song at different fora, especially political campaign rallies.
The lawmaker, who is the son of a former Chief of Army Staff and ex-Minister of Interior, Lieutenant-General Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), while fielding questions from journalists covering the House in Abuja on Thursday, was asked if he felt Tinubu was fit for the job.
Responding, he said, “Tinubu is healthy. There is nothing wrong with him. If you remember last night, (Tinubu’s running mate) Kashim Shettima even mentioned that he (Shettima) is diabetic and has hypertension but Bola Ahmed Tinubu has no ailment. He is very fit. Did you not see him dancing Buga? He is well. There is nothing wrong with him.”
Dambazau urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to set performance targets for service chiefs and other heads of security agencies, in the wake of the growing insecurity in the country.
According to him, setting the target will allow the replacement of those in charge of security, if they fail to secure the country.
The lawmaker partly said, “Insecurity has been something that has been rearing its ugly head since around 2008. It is something that has been ongoing but I think we started to feel the bite around 2009 when (leader of the then Islamic sect, Boko Haram) Mohammed Yusuf was captured and handed over to the police and was executed extra-judicially at that time.
“So, we have made progress now because I recall that between 2014 and the end of 2015…for that period, I refused to go for any Eid prayer. I used to go for Friday prayers. I stayed at home or went to the barracks to pray. But now, since around 2016, I have not missed any Eid prayer. I have not missed a Jumaat prayer. So that speaks a lot.”
The lawmaker recalled the several places attacked by terrorists in Abuja during the period, saying, “Now the insecurity has become something that is in isolated pockets, but it is still being addressed.”
He added, “I think so far so good, this government has done very well. There is room for improvement. More can be done. I think people should be held accountable. There should be set targets, because if you do not have a performance target, then, there is no way to review to see how well you have been doing.
“The security agencies have a task to perform. And that task is to secure the lives and properties of Nigerians. If you are not doing what you are supposed to do, you should get changed. That is how it should go so that people would be on top of their game.
“There is no sentiment in play here, so the government is not playing. They have targets that have been given to the security agencies to ensure that Nigerians can exercise their right to vote and put in leaders that they believe would be able to usher this country into the next phase that we want to.”
Dambazau stressed the need for Nigerians to come together as a country and be in unison. He urged them to remove tribal sentiments and religious bigotry “and understand the country is not for just us alone.”
He partly said, “Our leaders need to understand that they should eat last. We need to put the needs of the country forward. That is why I am here today to tell you, without mincing words, that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the man that has the gravitas; he is the man that has the experience to take care of all these issues that are disturbing Nigerians, be them trivial, be them controversial, be them sensitive…to be able to put people together, to be able to douse all tensions in different sectors, in different regions of Nigeria.
“I promise you that with the circumstances here, if you know about the spoiler effect, then, you already know that, clearly, APC has already won this election by God’s grace come February 2023.”
“All the issues Nigerians are concerned about are being addressed, have been addressed and would be addressed by the incoming government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima. We would vote in a strong government that would bring strong policies, stronger institutions, and economic stability for Nigerians to prosper and enjoy the fruits of our land.”
