Ex Gov. Yarima Speaks On His Presidential Ambition, Detail Of Meeting With Buhari

The former Governor of Zamfara State, Ahmad Sani Yarima, while speaking on the 2023 presidency stated that he may be contesting for the position of president following calls by his loyalists.

Yarima stated this in Gusau, during an interview on Radio Nigeria’s Pride FM, Zamfara State.

The former governor who promised never to run for any political office at the state level claimed that he is still contemplating the calls by his loyalists.

Yarima revealed details of his discussions with President Muhammad Buhari about former governor Abdulaziz Yari and the politics in the state.

The duo spoke about Yari’s imposition of candidates in the state chapter of the All Progressive Congress before the governorship candidate in the state.

Yarima noted that he had a meeting with President Buhari before the elections, where Yari’s hidden agenda was disclosed.

According to him, the president had expressed reservations about the imposition of candidates by Yari.

“We heard what your governor was doing and we are disapproving of his plan to impose candidates because the position at the party level is that primaries should be conducted to ensure a level playing ground for all candidates”

He stated that President Buhari had reported Yari’s plan to the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, stressing that he was in a fight with the former governor.

The senator quoted Buhari as saying; ‘I’m fighting with Governor Yari on his plan to impose candidates, I told him that it would not be accepted but he insisted on doing as he wished. I then told Oshiomhole that he should not worry, that I will talk to Governor Yari”

Yarima stated that he tried to intervene in the matter but Yari claimed that Oshiomhole does not have the right to decide for him.

“I told Yari that Oshiomhole was not alone in opposing the idea, I said President Buhari was also disapproving of it, but Yari said, ‘no, no, no, please don’t bring President Buhari into this matter.”

“President Buhari has no hands in all the crises but Oshiomhole’, and that he would make sure he did as he wished”.

“I said okay no problem and then I left. I was very careful not to quarrel with him like I did with my ex-deputy Shinkafi. Since he said I should back down, I retraced my steps in the affair but whenever there was any activity concerning the party I would go if invited,” Yarima lamented

“When President Buhari came for a campaign in Gusau, the state capital, he said he would not raise the hands of any candidate and he bluntly told the stakeholders his stand. “I then drew the attention of Governor Yari to what Buhari said during the stakeholders’ meeting when he arrived Gusau for his campaign rally. I told him that if he had allowed me to explain what President Buhari said, all the crisis wouldn’t have happened”.