Gulak
Former Political Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, has spoken on events that led to his ouster from the top job.
Confirming reports that his clash with some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors prompted the president to remove him, Gulak recalled while in office, he said things as they were because he isn’t an hypocrite.
“I must have called a spade a spade or step on toes, that is to be expected and I don’t know how to pretend when things are not going the right way. That is my character; I cannot change,” he told Leadership.
“Whether you are a governor, senator, pastor or Imam, I will tell you what I feel is right and true. So if I had a clash with a governor or governors, it is all part of the hazards of my job. I always see things from different perspective. If there is a political problem in a state for example being created by the governor and of course the governor will not like me to say anything.
“But as a political adviser to the president on political matters, it is my job to tell him that in state A, we have political crises between Governor B and his people or with a senator and as the saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine. Look at what we have in Benue State now, a former chairman of the party and senator defected to the APC, we have also lost a former minister, Ortom to APC. We have again lost a former SSG, a strongman in Akwa Ibom to APC.
“We have lost some many prominent and influential people and these were some of the issues I was trying to raise and wanted the party to address in time and maybe in the process I stepped on toes just because I came out to say the truth. Some literally came out to blackmail the president that, if I don’t go, they will leave the party and we cannot be asking the governor to leave. Some like Sokoto, Rivers and Adamawa have left and if some governors come to the president and said if this your political adviser doesn’t leave, we will leave, a practical blackmail, then I had to go.”
On allegations by opposition parties that the PDP plans to rig the 2015 elections and that INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega is loyal to the ruling party, Gulak said even the PDP thinks Jega is sympathetic to the opposition.
His words: “Jega has found himself between the deep blue sea and the devil. But this is politics and Nigerians must appreciate and understand that Jega is a neutral umpire. Jega has conducted elections in Ondo, Osun and Ekiti, and I think he has tried his best. All we need is proper scrutiny by the security agency, and people should be allowed to choose the leaders they want.”
Gulak also debunked that assertion that President Jonathan is more a South-South president, saying “He is a Nigerian leader, not a south/south leader.”
“I have seen in President Goodluck Jonathan a serious and committed leader but there are challenges and he is also a human being, with flesh and blood. Right from after the elections, he was saddled with the aftermath of the election crises, bombing and the rest up till this moment, the man has been working to see that he solves these problems. Were it not for these problems, this man would have taken Nigeria to the height nobody envisioned. Look at the railway, agriculture, look at other sectors.
Commenting on threat by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi that the opposition would form a parallel government if the PDP “rigs” the presidential elections, Gulak called the governor and his party “rabble rousers”.
“The problem we have in this country is that, if PDP wins elections, it is scientific rigging but if the APC wins, it is credible elections. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Go to the people, sell your programme and let them decide. In Anambra, the people decided and gave APGA; in Ekiti, they gave the PDP; in Osun, they decided and gave APC. Mr President has always said that, nobody should rig this elections and he is willing to deploy security agencies to make sure that there is a credible elections.”
The PDP senatorial candidate also disclosed that, if he wins, he would advocate for a law to repair the areas ravaged by the insurgency.
“There must be adequate law to take care of the devastation that has happened in the zone. We need to invite developmental partners to come and help out in rebuilding some of these areas,” Gulak said.
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