A former member of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, tells LEKE BAIYEWU about his political ambition
What do you think qualifies you to be Nigeria’s President?
I am qualified based on the fact that I have satisfied all the constitutional requirements. I have satisfied all the political requirements and social criteria. I have been a Senator of the Federal Republic and I have risen through the ranks in business and career to the point of founding a university (Baze University), serving as its Pro-Chancellor for the past eight years. I have risen through the ranks of everything that I have done. The next office for me to aspire to is the Presidency. More so, I believe that only the enormous powers of that office will help me and enable me to solve the giant problems of Nigeria and make it the country of our dreams.
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How do you hope to defeat other presidential aspirants in the primary?
I want to create further awareness and familiarity with the delegates and the party leaders, making them to understand who I am facing in 2019; making them to see reason why it must not be business as usual. I would make them to realise that money must not play a role but only integrity, honour and what an aspirant is all about.
Do you have faith in PDP’s ability to conduct a free and fair primary?
Let us wait and see. I am reasonably comfortable but we wait to see how the whole exercise would play out.
What should Nigeria expect in the election if you win the primary?
If I win at the primary, I will be surprised if President Muhammadu Buhari still agrees to fly the ticket of the All Progressives Congress. He will most probably quit the race. Nigerians should expect APC to be heavily defeated in the 2019 elections. With me as the PDP candidate, there is no chance for Buhari. Absolutely! I am the antidote to Buhari. I am his complete opposite. Buhari is about the old, I am about the new. Buhari is about incapacity, I am about capacity. Buhari is about the past, I am about now and the future. Buhari is about arresting and detaining people, I am about solving systemic problems. Buhari is about agriculture, I am about education, empowerment, industry, technology. So, we are completely different. Buhari is about religious bigotry. I am about gender sensitivity, ethnic and religious balance. Mark my words: ethnic and religious balance. I am the complete opposite of Buhari and he stands absolutely no chance against me.
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