The man alleged to have made a go at President Muhammadu Buhari at an Agric show at Argungu, Kebbi State said he was motivated more out of love for a man he admired and was obssesed with rather than a desire to harm him.
Malam Mohammed Jamilu-Gundare, says he merely wanted to shake the hand of his hero.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Jamilu-Gundare, 30, a graduate of Public Administration from Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto, made an attempt to have a hand shake with Buhari shortly after the agric show.
But the video showed he went in the direction where the former Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Adamu Aliero; and Jigawa Governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, were standing for a group photograph.
Curiously Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and Kebbi Governor, Atiku Bagudu, were on hand to back Jamilu-Gundare’s story.
On his part, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said: “Jamilu is just a young man who is very passionate about Mr president and from what you can see this is a gentleman who has followed Mr President’s political career from day one but breached protocol pure and simple yesterday.”
Mohammed regretted about all the stories flying that Jamilu-Guddare was trying to attack Mr President, saying that such stories are actually false.
“Even the story that he has been shot by the police is false. He just wanted to see Mr President and commend him (for) what he has been doing, the only mistake he had was he breached the protocol,” the minister noted.
Similarly, Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State said that Jamilu was an ardent Buharist who was yesterday in an exuberant attempt to greet Mr President, but was mistaken about the breach of protocol.
“It created the wrong atmosphere but I am glad you have all heard from him and quite honoured to meet him and assured him I and Minister will inform Mr President and beg him to grant an audience to Jamilu to visit him and shake hand with him,” he assured.
Speaking with journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Friday, Jamilu-Guddare said: “Yesterday (March 12) was a difficult day for me as a graduate of Public Administration who graduated with Second Class Upper, three points away from First Class, to take a risk to attempt to get the attention of Mr President despite the heavy army of security personnel and architecture in the venue.
“But I am sorry for the disturbances I caused, I admitted it was a breach of protocol out of emotional love for the person whom I believed to have been the most integrity nurtured, honest, incorruptible and right driven.
“Nobody in Nigeria and wider world has never questioned the consistency, integrity, honesty and righteousness of Mr President on either national issue or personal life.
“No one has ever questioned whether national resources, material resources have ever been squandered under his watch or by him. This is the reason, prerequisite, instinct and values that carried my heart to Mr President.”
Jamilu-Guddare assured that even if he had died yesterday he was happy to have met and achieved ambition of meeting the president one-on-one.
“Let me make it clear to the general public that I have not done so to secure a job and I am fulfilled to have achieved my mission of meeting the President one-on-one,” he said.
Additional reports by NAN