The All Progressives Congress (APC)
has expressed its shock and revulsion at Wednesday’s bomb attacks in Kaduna
that targeted one of its leaders, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as well as prominent
cleric Dahiru Bauchi and left hordes of innocent civilians dead or injured.
In a statement issued in Lagos on
Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party
sent its condolences to the families of the victims and pray that God will give
them the much-needed strength at times like this, while also wishing the
injured a speedy recovery.
It said the attempted assassination
of Gen. Buhari has changed the narrative about the insurgent group and knocked
the bottom off the sinister, irresponsible and partisan colouration given to
the insurgency by the Federal Government.
APC said while no one has yet claimed
responsibility for the attack, the mere fact that it occurred at all is a
lose-lose situation for the Jonathan Administration.
”Whether it is Boko Haram or not,
one thing remains: This government has failed woefully in its core
constitutional duty of protecting the security and welfare of the citizenry.
And we mean all the citizens, not just the leaders!
”And contrary to the simplistic and
clearly selfish portrayal of the Boko Haram insurgency as a sinister plot to
bring down the government of Jonathan, it should now be clear to the FG that
has engaged in ceaseless finger-pointing instead of tackling the insurgency
headlong that Boko Haram is an enemy of Nigeria and of all of humanity.
”It is a real problem that is
capable of consuming this country if immediate and urgent steps are not made
now by the FG to move away from its politicization of the crisis, its decision
to use it as a trump card for President Jonathan’s re-election and exploit it
as a ticket to international relevance for the President. If anything untoward
had happened to Gen. Buhari on Wednesday, the consequences are only better
imagined than witnessed!
”If indeed the APC is behind Boko
Haram and Gen. Buhari is a sympathizer of the evil group, as the FG wants the
world to believe, could it be that the insurgents do not know their leaders or
sympathizers, assuming they are behind the attack? If they are not responsible
for the attack, doesn’t that support the theory in some circles that Boko Haram
has become a franchise, hence there is the Boko Haram of Abubakar Shekau and
the political Boko Haram?
”Whatever happens now, the satanic
and repulsive theory of the PDP-led FG that the opposition APC is using Boko
Haram to truncate the Administration of Jonathan is up in flames. Therefore, it
is time for them to change the narrative, see Boko Haram for what it is – an
enemy of Nigeria – and rally the citizenry, irrespective of their political,
ethnic or religious affiliation, behind the government’s efforts to tackle it
decisively,” the party said.
It said that as a first step,
President Jonathan must immediately stop the wasteful contract he signed with
the US-based firm Levick to help demonize the APC as the sponsor of Boko Haram,
and to demonize any Nigerian who is perceived to be an enemy of the government.
It is this kind of demonization, using pseudo and out-of-job analysts, that
helped to set the stage for Wednesday’s failed assassination attempt against
Gen. Buhari.
”Then the President must address
Nigerians to tell them that Boko Haram is not just an enemy of his government,
it is an enemy of the opposition, of Christians, of Muslims and of the
different ethnic groups.
”Instead of dividing Nigerians
along religious, ethnic and political lines, President Jonathan should borrow a
leaf from his predecessors. Obasanjo never said the Niger Delta militancy was
aimed at his government or his people, he tackled it headlong. Yar’Adua it was
who finally ended the militancy, without saying it was aimed at his government
or his people,” APC said.
The party reiterated its earlier
stand that only a non-partisan approach will galvanize Nigerians against Boko
Haram, which is rooted more in the years of bad governance that have resulted
in mass unemployment, massive corruption, economic imbalances and made the youth
to become hopeless, thus creating an army of willing tools for criminal
activities
It repeated its offer to work with
the FG to battle Boko Haram and its call for a national stakeholders’
conference to help fashion out a comprehensive counter-insurgent blueprint for
the nation.
APC said rather than just throwing
money at what has now become a bottomless pit, rather than creating the avenue
for some unpatriotic citizens to feed fat on the insurgency, the FG should
engage in new thinking.
”After almost five years and 14
billion US dollars, Boko Haram is stronger today than ever. Whereas the average
death toll in the previous years has been 1,500, more than 3,500 people have
been killed so far this year! There is no stronger evidence that what is needed
to successfully fight Boko Haram is not just 1 billion dollars, but a
comprehensive approach that includes efforts to tackle the social and economic
roots of the insurgency,” the party said.
SOURCE: vanguardngr.com
