By Ben Ogbemudia, Abuja
ENGR YABAGI YUSUF Sani, National Chairman, Action Democratic Party, ADP has described the late Bashir Tofa as history of modern Nigeria that cannot be complete without a conspicuous reference to the glorious and colourful contributions of the late Alhaji Bashir Uthman Tofa.

Sani described him as an iconic politician, a great visionary and patriotic Nigerian who went into politics not to advance narrow-personal interests but a mission to uplift the lofty ideals of Nigerian founding fathers to build a united, virile and economically vibrant nation.

He said the ADP will want to recall one of the outstanding shows of his pax-Nigerian political orientation, when in 1993, he went out of his way to nominate Chief Sylvester Ugoh, a former Governor of the Central Bank of the ill-fated Republic of Biafra as his running mate in the 1993 presidential election on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention, NRC.

Unknown to many Nigerians, the late Tofa’s preference for Chief Ugoh was not without stiff opposition from several political quarters in all parts of the county.

“The ADP will also want to recall that the political career of the late nationalistic politician went way back to his younger days when in the 3rd Republic, he emerged the Kano State Secretary of the defunct National Party of Nigeria, NPN, which was the largest and eventually, the ruling party between 1979 to 1983.

In continuation of his commitment to serving the and the country, even after the unfortunate abortion of the 3rd Republic, he remained optimistic and committed to the efforts of entrenching democracy in Nigeria. For example, he played active roles as a founding member of several political movements and parties that metamorphosed into political parties on the restoration of democracy in the ongoing 4th Republic.

“Close to the end of his days, the late Bashir Tofa was often at the headquarters of the Action Democratic Party for consultations in the continuation of his heroic and patriotic endeavour of engendering political alliances and coalition with a view to finding credible alternative to the chain of inept and rudderless leadership that has been holding down the progress of the nation since the return of democracy in 1999.

He was such a great Nigerian, an honest statesman and a convinced liberal politician whose concerns for the country went beyond himself, his time and primordial considerations of ethnoreligious and regional sentiments.

“There is no gainsaying the immensity of his loss on the Nigerian political and democratic journey at this critical stage when the counsels and interventions, direction and pilotage of people of his calibre and stature are desperately required in charting a path for advancement and to stave the nation away from avoidable political mishaps.

“The leadership and members of the Action Democratic Party, ADP, join the multitude of people in the political circle and other sections in Nigeria and abroad in mourning the sudden and painful death on 3rd January, 2022, of Alhaji Bashir Uthman Tofa, June 1947 – January 2022. We are particularly commiserating with members of his immediate family, his friends and associates and the entire people and government of Kano State for the loss of their beloved father, breadwinner and one of the most outstanding statemen and leaders ever in our country.

Brazilian President hospitalized with intestinal blockage

“May the soul of His Excellency, late Alhaji Bashir Uthman Tofa rest in Aljannah Firdaus in the hereafter as we also pray that, Allah SWT grants the family the fortitude to bear the painful loss, amin.”