candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari (rtd.), as the major sponsor of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko
Haram and a leading protagonist of violence.
It said that apart from his ambition to rule the country again, Buhari
had refused to contribute meaningfully to actions capable ofending
insecurity in the country.
Buhari, a National Leader of the CPC, had, on the Hausa service of the
British BroadcastingCorporation on Monday, said that the
FederalGovernment should be blamed for the lingering security
challenges in the country. According to Punch Newspaper, Buhari also
flayed the Goodluck Jonathan administrationfor what he called "poor
handling of insurgency" that had led to the death of many Nigerians
and destruction of properties.
While reacting to this, the Senior Special Assistant to the President
on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said it was unfortunate thatsuch a
statement could emanate from Buhari.
Describing Buhari as a man he respects so much, Okupe added that he
had no option butto reply to his accusations against the Federal
Government and the President.
He reminded Nigerians that Buhari had previously been credited with a
statement that he would make the country ungovernable if the last
presidential election did not favour him.
Okupe said, "Everybody in this country knowsthat it was Buhari who
vowed that if he did not win the election, he would make the country
ungovernable for this President Goodluck Jonathan. It was this same
Buhari who said during the electioneering period that if the votes
were counted and he lost, people should go for blood. He is not in any
position to apportion blame on the issue of violence in the North or
in Nigeria in general. He is a protagonist of violence.
The only solution he sees to his not being President is to call for
violence. This government has tried to contain some of the
repercussions of the unguarded statements made by Buhari and I don't
think anybody in Nigeria will take him seriously on this allegation."
The presidential aide added that if there were those to be blamed for
the insecurity in the country, the name of Buhari should top the list.
Okupe wondered why the Katsina State- born general had refused to
visit states like Borno and Yobe despite the fact that he hails from
the northern part of the country.
He said, "As a former Head of State, have you ever seen him (Buhari)
visiting Borno or Yobe States? Have you ever seen him show sympathy to
people, either Christians or Muslims that have been killed during
these attacks by Boko Haram? Have you see him as a leader, a man who
traversed the entire length and breadth of the North especially
tocanvass for votes seeking an end to the violence? Why is it that he
cannot use that same clout that he has to get leaders together and say
we must put an end to this carnage? He finds it comfortable to shift
theblame to other people.
What has he done as a leader, who is from that region to help Nigeria
and the North outof this unfortunate development? Nigerians should ask
him, as a former Head of State and stakeholder in the Nigeria project
and a man who wants to be President again, if he would want Nigeria to
be destroyed up to a point before he can try to wade in? It does not
work that way." Okupe said that as a leader, Buhari should stop
apportioning blame, but should do something crucial to bring the
carnage in the country under control.
He reminded the former military ruler that during the crisis in Niger
Delta, leaders fromthe region went into the creeks and discussed with
the militants to lay down theirarms. "Has Buhari done that? When
Christians were killed, he kept quiet, when mosques were bombed, he
did not say anything.
He doesn't have any other interest in Nigeria but his inordinate
ambition to rule," he added. In his reaction, Buhari said there was no
way he could be involved in the discussion on how to end the carnage
since he was not part of the problem. Buhari, who spoke through the
National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, also
said it was apparent that those responsible for the crisisin the Niger
Delta were the ones that volunteered to end it.
He said, "When the Niger Delta militancy reached a crescendo, some
notable people from that region went into the creeks as he (Okupe)
alleged. The question is: 'Who were the people who started the Niger
Delta imbroglio ab initio?' If the people that initiated and executed
a problem decided to resolve it, what can anyone do about it?
This is totally different from the Boko Haram palaver."
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