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Age: Buhari is being honest —Babatope
By Olusesan Laoye |
President Muhammadu Buhari should be commended for speaking the truth about what his age could cope with now that he is the President of the country Chief Ebenezer Babatope has said. Buhari is being honest.
Chief Babatope who was the former Minister of Transport and Aviation who spoke with the Hallmark in a telephone chart said ‘’ I believe he is speaking the truth Buhari and I are of the same age and there is a limit to which we could both do now at that age’’
He pointed out he appreciated the statement of president Buhari and for him to come out to say the truth was an indication that he was honest to say the truth. He said that people should not misconstrue his statement to mean that he cannot do the job.
Chief Babatope further argued that if Buhari was left alone to do things at his pace age would not be his problem or prevent him from doing the job
The statement of President Buhari in South Africa while meeting Nigerians there that how he wishes he was the president when he was younger and that he would have been able to do much running around as when he was a governor or Minister when he built major oil refineries in the country.
Buhari however assured that his age would not deter what he promised Nigerians during his campaign saying that his government would make a lot of difference. From the previous administrations in the country and the people would be happy and not disappointed.
Since Tuesday that he made the statement to Nigerians during his visit to South Africa for the 25th edition of the Heads of States of the African union in Johannesburg, there have been several reactions. While those in the All Progressives congress (APC) believed that he was quoted out of contest, those in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were of the opinion that they have been vindicated that Buhari could not cope with governance at that age. Buhari who was 72 when he won the presidency would be 73 on December 17 2015.
Deacon I A Oyemakinde the Oyo state coordinator of Buhari support group said that Nigerians are fond of misinterpreting those they don’t want to hear anything about. He said that What Buhari said was not an indication that he would not perform but he was only being factual about people of his age which he all know was the truth. He argued that Nigerians like those who will deceive them.
Deacon Oyemakinde said that as the president, he would appoint competent people who will do the job and what he would do ‘’is to show good leadership and the directions which those who will work with him would go.’’ He said that people should take time to read his full speech and not take a small fraction of it to keep castigating him and as well saying all sort of things about him.
But the PDP Media watch Dog has argued that the party has now been vindicated because they have said it earlier, that Buhari cannot cope with governance at 72 and that the country required a much younger person to lead than a man in his old age.
The group described the people in APC and President Buhari as hypocrites and liars adding that PDP has now been vindicated by Buhari’s confession. The group then called on Buhari to resign because rather than the party and the president running they are only sitting which ‘’is not good for the county’’
