Former Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plans for Nigeria are unmatched by those of any president he has encountered in nearly four decades of political involvement.

Masari, who spoke at a public function in Kaduna, said his assessment was based on his long experience in Nigerian politics.

He urged Nigerians to look beyond the criticisms surrounding the current administration.

The former governor served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007, during Obasanjo’s second term, before becoming governor of Katsina State in 2015. He left office in 2023.

In August, Masari was appointed Deputy Director-General, Parliamentary Mobilisation, of the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

But in a video published by HM Arewa, a Hausa-language media platform, Masari said “I can confidently say I have never seen a president with better plans to make Nigeria great than Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I have simply never seen anyone like him”.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives also challenged claims that the Tinubu administration had achieved little.

He argued that similar criticisms had followed previous governments.

According to him, the pattern was evident under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when critics raised allegations of sectionalism and tribalism after his first four years in office.

He said the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan was similarly subjected to such criticism.

He added that the same comparable narratives were now being deployed against Tinubu.

“A short look at our history shows that in 1999, after Obasanjo finished his first four years, these same people came out with issues of sectionalism and tribalism,” Masari said.

He explained further that “They did the exact same thing to Goodluck Jonathan, and that is exactly what they are doing now.”

Masari criticised attempts to frame political disagreements around religion.

He questioned the basis for associating particular faiths exclusively with specific ethnic groups.

“What surprises me about our people when they talk about religion is this, is religion exclusive to the Hausa, the Yoruba, or even the Igbo?” he asked.

With the 2027 elections approaching, the former governor appealed to women preachers to use their influence within families and communities to discourage rhetoric capable of deepening ethnic and religious divisions.

“Each and every one of you knows how to talk to her husband or children better than anyone else can,” he said.

Masari said the divisive narratives were being promoted by people pursuing personal interests.

He called on Nigerians to resist attempts to exploit religious and ethnic sentiments for political purposes. (Daily Trust)