The former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is a product of the political maturity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He made this known yesterday in Abuja when he paid a private visit to the management and staff of the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI).
Alkali insisted that the course of history was altered by the loss and acceptance of the defeat by the former ruling party in Nigeria, saying although the PDP wanted victory, it could not achieve it.
He said “PDP planned to win. We did our best but the results indicated otherwise. By accepting defeat and calling the incumbent President, changed the course of history in this country, we should not forget that moment.
“I know there have been challenges here and there after the 2015 general election. The loss of the election was very huge but the party is not dead even though no politician wants to lose a vote”.
The former presidential adviser, however, noted that the 2015 presidential election has put Nigeria in a place of leadership position in Africa.
He said future leaders in Nigeria, by Buhari’s emergence as Nigeria’s President, will be ready to relinquish power when they lose elections.
Alkali also urged political actors to always remember the phone call of former President Jonathan to President Buhari and should be willing to do same in future contest.
Welcoming Prof. Alkali, director general of the PDI, Dr Lanre Adebayo, thanked him for the visit and said the institute was established primarily to promote democracy in Nigeria.
“Our role is to develop programmes and capacity at enhancing the quality of engagement within our democracy”, he said.
