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.
