National chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Shehu Gabam has said experience not backed by capacity for performance should not a factor in the nation’s political leadership recruitment process, noting that for all the experiences garnered over the years; President Muhammadu Buhari has not been able to justify the confidence Nigerians repose on him.
Gabam who stated this in a chat with Vanguard on Tuesday urged Nigerians to look beyond old men who have nothing to show apart from experience, in the 2023 election cycle.
According to Gabam, SDP Presidential candidate, Abewole Adebayo is the variant of leader Nigeria needs in her quest for a new beginning, even as he expressed doubt about the capacity of Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and his All Progressives Congress, APC counterpart, Bola Tinubu to make a difference if given the opportunity.
He said: “The current President and Commander-in -Chief, Muhammadu Buhari have more experience than Atiku and Tinubu.
He was the former military Head of State, an ex-military governor, Minister and what have you. In terms of experience, you can’t equate him with the two that you have mentioned but what is the level of his performance? He has performed very woefully.
“What Nigeria is going through today has nothing to do with experience, it has something to do with agility, capacity and ability to perform the task because we are on the verge of eminent crisis. We need someone that can take apt decision, we need someone that can spend his time working, not sleeping, monitoring the situation of the country, giving decisive orders and creating deterrent for those who do not obey order. That is what Nigeria needs right now.
“So if you go back to Atiku and Tinubu, I don’t know whether they have the energy, the time and resilience to drive Nigeria.
“Yes, they have their experiences. They have been part of the system for a very long time. Tinubu has been part of the system for a very long time, Atiku has been part of the system for a very long time but again none of them have contested Presidency and won before. Atiku have contested Presidency a couple of times and lost.
“This is Tinubu’s first time. Yes, he was a former governor of Lagos state but that is not a criteria for anybody to say he will perform.
“I know as a matter of fact that he did well in Lagos state but the dynamics have changed. The situation of Nigeria has changed. Nigeria require someone who can melt into the whole system and deal with the system decisively,” he added.
