As Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) begins merger talks
with other opposition parties, Second Republic Senate president, Dr. Joseph
Wayas, has advised its presidential candidate in 2011 general elections,
General Muhammad Buhari (retd) to perish the thought of becoming president in
2015 or beyond.
Wayas said Buhari lacked the democratic credentials to seek
election as president having led a military coup, in December 1983 that sacked
the democratically elected government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. Wayas, who was
Senate president when the coup plotters struck, told Daily Sun in Abuja that
events that followed their sack had rubbished Buhari’s reasons for staging the
coup.
According to Wayas, several years after, one of the key
actors of the Buhari coup, the late General Sani Abacha, confessed to him that
they (the coupists) were mistaken in the reasons they gave for sacking the Shagari
government. “You know it was General Abacha who announced the coup. He told me
that they made several attempts to pin something on me. When their
investigations came to naught, they released me. But I had spent several years
in prison, for no reason,” revealed Wayas.
The deposed Senate president ruled out the possibility of
reconciling with Buhari, insisting there was no basis for that. “Once I went to
see Abacha. As I was entering, he (Buhari) was leaving. When he saw me, he
immediately offered his hand for a handshake. I ignored him. He passed on. Same
with me,” said Wayas. He continued: “The next occasion was when Shagari was
launching a book in Kaduna. Honestly, I don’t know why he (Buhari) chose to
attend such a function.
This was Shagari’s chair. The next was mine, and beside mine
was Buhari’s. Naturally I protested. Of course he tried to greet me. Again, I
declined.” The former Senate president expressed bewilderment that, “the same
man who sacked an elected government, 30 years ago, now wants to be elected
president,” exclaiming, how ironic.
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