Why Jonathan lost to Buhari – Sanusi

Former Governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria and the current
Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, says
President Goodluck Jonathan lost
because of the mood of voters
which was determined by the
economic conditions and level of
poverty across the country.
Sanusi, who is now known as Emir
Muhammadu Sanusi II, said this
during an interview with our
correspondent on Saturday.
He said the voting showed that
areas which had a high rate of
poverty felt neglected by the
Peoples Democratic Party-led
Federal Government over the years.
Sanusi said the presidential poll
results showed that the figures of
the PDP in presidential elections
from 1999 had continued to
dwindle significantly.
The monarch said the PDP got
fewer votes in 2007, less in 2011
and then fewer votes in 2015
causing the ruling party to finally
lose to the opposition party, the All
Progressives Congress.
He said, “I think in 2011, it was very
clear that Jonathan had lost many
states in the North that had
previously been won by former
President Olusegun Obasanjo. And
it was clear that there was a
general sense by people of the
Federal Government not investing
in the areas where there is a high
level of poverty.
“I believe more and more of those
states began to feel that sense of
not feeling the federal presence
and not feeling the impact of
democracy in their pockets and I
think it is extremely important for
people to connect with the
government and when you have
such conditions after 16 years of
democracy, it was natural that
people would want to have a
change and I think this is basically
what has happened.
“I don’t think it is something about
an individual, I think it is something
that has been going on for a
number of years and you could see
the states won by the PDP in 1999
and what they won in 2003, what
they won in 2007, 2011 and you
would begin to see the changes in
the way Nigerians were responding
so it was a matter of time.”
Sanusi, however, commended
Jonathan, the President-elect,
Muhammadu Buhari; and the
Independent National Electoral
Commission for the conduct and
atmosphere of the election.
He said change of leadership was
good for democracy as it
encouraged healthy competition.
He said it was the trend in
democracies across the world.
“I think it is good for the country
that you have different parties
winning and if the APC performs,
they get another term and if they
don’t, they get voted out after four
years and it is extremely important
that this happens so let us not see
it in terms of somebody losing,” he
said.
Sanusi also urged Buhari not to
focus solely on corruption but on
other areas that required urgent
government attention such as
education, decaying infrastructure,
diversifying the economy and
fixing power.