Second Republic House of Representatives member, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has backed the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, saying President Muhammadu Buhari had been overly nepotistic in his appointments.
But Junaid, who spoke on Friday, said Kukah’s analysis was not totally right.
Kukah had two weeks ago said there would have been a coup if a southern President had shown the sort of nepotism displayed by Buhari.
“Every honest Nigerian knows that there is no way any non-Northern Muslim President could have done a fraction of what President Buhari has done by his nepotism and got away with it. There would have been a military coup a long time ago or we would have been at war. The President may have concluded that Christians will do nothing and will live with these actions,” Kukah had said.
Junaid, who partly agreed with Kukah, said Buhari’s nepotism was not purely based on religion or tribe but rather on nepotism.
The former lawmaker further stated that skewed appointments had never been the reason for any coup in the past, adding that even if a southern President did what Buhari was doing, it would not be enough to instigate a coup.
Junaid, who also said Kukah has been his close friend for over 30 years, stated that the cleric did not base his assertion on history.
He said, “I have no problem with part of his (Kukah’s) statement but I don’t believe he is historically accurate by saying that coups come about when Muslims or northerners find themselves being marginalised.
“But I have to admit that the core issue he raised about nepotism is real and of course marginalisation of some certain sections of the country is real and that nepotism is in favour of people that are close to Buhari, particularly his friends, cronies, relations and in-laws.
“Over 99 per cent of the appointments Buhari made were not based on merit.”
Junaid, while responding to a question on the Armed Forces Remembrance Day and the 56th anniversary of the first coup, further stated that another civil war is not impossible.
He said the popular opinion that no country ever survives two civil wars is false, adding that many countries, including the United Kingdom, have witnessed more than one civil war.
He said, “Anybody who tells you that a nation cannot have more than one civil war is ignorant of history. Several countries including the English and the Scots as well as Russia, Italy and Germany have faced several wars. The French have gone through several civil wars.
“I know some otherwise respectable generals who say that no country has undergone civil war more than once. That is sheer nonsense. But going through a civil war more than once is not something to be proud of. It is something any sensible people should avoid.
“There must be a sense of justice among the people. If there is no justice, no matter how much you pray or no matter how much you try to convolute, the real reasons for the war will rear its ugly head and you will see yourself walking into another disaster.”