Buhari cannot even remember his phone number - President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan during a rally in Enugu on Friday took a jab at the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), According to Jonathan, how can Buhari change Nigeria's economy when he cannot even remember his own mobile phone number.

"Is it now that Buhari cannot even remember his own phone number that he can change the economy of the country." Jonathan asked.

The president said that although he did not like to "go personal during campaigns," but "sometimes circumstances demand that certain things must be said."

Jonathan said that Buhari belonged to the medieval age, adding that he (Buhari) intended to run the Federal Government as a medieval king.

He said, "We cannot run the government as if we are in the medieval age; we cannot run a government where somebody said he would throw people into jail.

"You are not a medieval king – a medieval king can throw you into jail but we have to follow the rule of law because we cannot go back to the old days."

Jonathan, however, read the speech made by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.) after overthrowing Buhari's regime through a military coup on August 27, 1985 to justify his claim that the APC candidate does not keep his promises.

Babangida, in the portions of the address read by Jonathan, justified Buhari's overthrow by pointing out that the latter did not live up to the promises he made to Nigerians when he ousted a democratically elected civilian government headed by Alhaji Shehu Shagari in a military coup.

Noting that Buhari "deceived Nigerians" from 1983 to 1985, Jonathan quoted Babangida as saying, "The initial objectives of Buhari's intervention were betrayed as there was a general deterioration of standard of living in the country."

The PDP candidate also pointed out that Babangida accused Buhari of being "too rigid in his attitude to national issues" and "became alienated from the people" in the course of his stay in power.

He, therefore, challenged Buhari to tell Nigerians how he intends to revive the economy.

The President equally accused Buhari of having a wrong idea of corruption.

According to him, Buhari believes that every wealthy Nigerian is corrupt.

He said, "If a Nigerian businessman has a private jet, then you are corrupt but if a South African has a private jet then you commend him.

"If you have a good house, then you are corrupt, if you have a good car then you are corrupt – that is his definition of corruption."

The President asked Nigerians to assess him and Buhari by looking at how they performed during their respective periods in office.

Source: Punch