Connect with us

News

Buhari’s govt lacks capacity to tackle insecurity – PDP

Published

on

Kola-Ologbondiyan

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday described President Muhammadu Buhari’s remark that the majority of Boko Haram victims are Muslims, as a divisive statement capable of endangering peace in the land.

The President had said in his column as a guest writer for Christianity Today, that 90 percent of the Boko Haram victims are Muslims.

He said: “It is the reality that some 90 percent of all Boko Haram’s victims have been Muslims. They include a copycat abduction of over 100 Muslim schoolgirls, along with their single Christian classmate; shootings inside mosques, and the murder of two prominent Imams.”

However, the PDP in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, described as highly insensitive that President Buhari “could attempt to rationalize the failure of his administration to end insurgency by stating that 90 percent of those killed by terrorists are members of a particular religion.”

The party said: “The killing of any compatriot, anywhere by terrorists or bandits, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or class, can never be rationalized under any guise whatsoever.

“The party says Mr. President’s disturbing statement shows that the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) attach no value to the lives of Nigerians as well as further exposes their manifest lack of capacity and commitment to effectively tackle the worsened security situation under President Buhari’s watch.

“Our party holds that for President Buhari, a commander-in-chief, who promised to fight from the fronts and now holds all the paraphernalia of power; and on whose shoulders the security of the nation rests, to make such a statement leaves no one in doubt that the Buhari Presidency has reached its wits end, exhausted its propaganda and has no solutions to offer.

“It is instructive for the Buhari Presidency to note that rather than engaging in lame attempt at rationalizing failure, the expectation of Nigerians is for it to take decisive steps, track down and vanquish terrorists, who resurged in our country after Mr. President took over as Commander-in-Chief.

“More distressing is that Mr. President’s divisive comment is coming at a time when all well-meaning Nigerians, irrespective of religion, partisan and sectional interests, are rallying together following calls by patriotic individuals and groups, particularly the PDP, to find solution for the worsened security challenges under the APC administration

“President Buhari and the APC must know that every life is precious, irrespective of religion, and that this obnoxious body count as rationalization for failure is completely unacceptable.

“The PDP notes that with such dismal attitude Nigerians have lost all confidence in the commitment of the APC administration to find a solution to security challenges under its watch.

READ ALSO: Jigawa gov swears-in new head of service, others

“The party therefore counsels President Buhari to immediately apologize for his comments, accept failure, rejig his security high command and engage more competent hands to effectively tackle the security challenges.

“Indeed, what Nigerians want to hear from President Buhari is the apprehension and prosecution of perpetrators of mass killings in Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Yobe, Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and other states of the nation where communities where pillaged under his watch.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now