News Editor
Attahiru Bafarawa, former governor of Sokoto state, has announced his retirement from politics after 45 years.
Bafarawa ruled Sokoto as governor between 1999 and 2007.
Speaking in an interview with the Punch, the ex-governor said he no longer has the will to be in active politics.
The former presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said he will never contest for any elective office or accept a political appointment.
“There was a time I was in politics, the will to do it was there. Now, I don’t have it. I feel I have done my best based on the opportunity given to me and I am grateful for what God has done for me,” he said.
“Therefore, I will never go for any elective office for the rest of my life and I will never accept any appointment for the rest of my life. But I will always give my advice whenever it is needed.”
Bafarawa said it is an “abuse of privilege” for someone who served as a former governor to vie to become a senator.
He said: “Why would you serve eight years as governor of a state and then you come again and take one part of the state and say you are going to the national assembly?
“After serving for eight years, why don’t you allow others to go to the national assembly? As a former governor, the only thing you can look forward to is the presidency. Anything less than that is an abuse of privilege.
“Out of 200 million people, you are one of the few chosen to become governor, and after two terms, you come back again and say you want to go to the Senate. What are you going to the Senate to do? As a former governor, ask somebody to go and represent the people there. Then you give the person your wisdom.”
A source who craved anonymity however asked rhetorically what advising mean in the context of the former Governor’s declaration noting that it is not the first time he is making such statements only to go back on it afterwards.
“At one such time, he publicly declared at a meeting in the government House and in the presence of some Sokoto state stakeholders, that no one should call him for any such meeting with the Governor because he was done with politics only for him to later jump into it with his tall body frame.
“We hope he will keep his words this time so that we can begin to build a treasure of statesmen around people like him in the state after the late former president, our beloved Shehu Shagari.” He said.
