The Presidency has said there is no part of the world where the President resigns during an ongoing war.
It therefore challenged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to tell Nigerians where such presidents had resigned during war time.
The Presidency was reacting to the demand by the leadership of the APC, including its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that President Goodluck Jonathan should resign because of the on-going war against the country by the members of the Boko Haram sect.
Reacting on behalf of the President, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, asked Nigerians to ignore such calls.
He said, “The suggestion by one of the leaders of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Bola Tinubu, that President Goodluck Jonathan should resign from office as a result of the activities of insurgents in the north-eastern part of the country, has once again shown beyond doubt that the former Lagos State governor and his colleagues in the opposition are a bunch of political anarchists and charlatans blinded by an unbridled appetite for power.
“The assertion by Tinubu at a political rally in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday that in ‘civilised’ societies, the President should have resigned is unfounded and lacking in historical precedence.
“We challenge him to tell Nigerians which part of his ‘civilised’ world has there been a call on a President to resign during an on-going war.
“When terrorists attacked the United States of America in September 2001, the leaders of the Democratic Party did not demand a resignation of President George Bush but rather they rose in defence of the American nation to support the various measures taken by the President to defeat the al Qaeda terrorists.”
He said it was necessary to remind the APC leader that it was leading members of his party who vehemently opposed and openly criticised the proscription of the Boko Haram sect by the Federal Government in 2013 with some of them even going as far as describing it as a move against the North while others tried to incite the civil society to condemn this anti-terrorists’ action.
Okupe said that it was therefore unfortunate that the APC, in its desperation for power and eagerness to make selfish political gains from insecurity, had shown a total lack of the spirit of nationalism and statesmanship in its public comments on the challenges of insurgency in the North-East.
He added that it was particularly sad that the leaders of the APC would mount every available podium to pour invectives on the President and ridicule members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria who were in the battlefield against terror.
“Telling the President to resign because of an ongoing insurgency is the height of insensitive, indecorous and bad politics which ought to be roundly condemned by every patriotic Nigerian,” he added.
He said that by the provisions of the Nigerian constitution, the only recognised means of changing a government was through the electoral process. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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APC is a political wing of BOKO HARAM
ReplyDeleteIt is a well known fact that APC is not a nationalistic party and one should not expect any comment that would be build the country from their leaders. IN one breathe, they support insurgency, opposed any action to checkmate them and at the same time condemned the Government for not stopping them. Amaechi condemned the outlawing of the sect, the declaration of state of emergency in those states, the northern leaders says it was a declaration of war on the north etc all to undermine the fight against the sect yet they are crying wolves where there is none. Nigerians should clearly shine their eyes on these APC leaders and can conclude that they are not after the wellbeing of this country and her populace.
ReplyDeleteYour words Alika" they rose in defence of the American nation to support the various measures taken by the President to defeat the al Qaeda terrorists.” steps were taken by the Bush administration. Here which step has Jonah taking? It is wen you are taking POSITIVE steps that the ppl will without qst support you. not wen you are leading them to their end. And be corrected, Presidents, Generals or any commanding officer not up to the challenge can and should be changed if his tactics to fighting a war is not productive or the best alternative there can be. a situation where police and army officers abandons arms and ammunition in flight, air force plane get missing, and air force jet bombing army check point instead of insurgence. Even if GEJ does not need to resign, don't ever in ur life say he is fighting a war. He is promoting himself for 2015 elections you are saying he is fighting war. Dull drum
ReplyDeleteIhejirika would have calmed the situation in the North but you idiots started shouting that he was about to wiped out the Northerners.......Which other strategy do you want Mr. President to adopt that your people will not complain ? Northerners created this menace to Frustrate his govt and thank God it bounce back on them.......If you guys doesn't want to call those brainwashed fools in order,you will all live to regrate it........
DeleteMaybe Ihejirika can also explain what happened to the defence budgets while he was there. How his wealth became so much that he suddenly became a billionaire. How he built so many houses while he was in authority? And how he suddenly has enough money to fund his governorship ambition.
DeleteForget sentiments the Australian guy had a lot of truth in the names he mentioned, but GEJ as usual blew that one too.
What GEJ should do? Stop blaming the opposition. Arrest somebody, try him/her quickly and send to jail. That will send a message to the other bloody insurgents.
oga okupe, iraq president was forced out of power by us and the west when it was obvious the iraqi president couldnt contain isis due to his long polarization of the iraqi nation and the iraqi military. similarly, okupe u ve tremendously mislead mr president in aiding the nation polarized and making the bh capitalizing on the loop holes u created all over the nation and even down the military. it is enough u knw what is right to be down if u cant do ur job as u took on oath. there many more but u dont want to knw but to argue. may God unite this nation in Jesus name.
ReplyDeleteStop talking about Unity...why you guys always afraid of disintegration ? There can never be peace in the country bcos some idiots claimed they are born to rule others......Ihejirika was at the verge of wiping off this menace you people created to make GEJ govt ungovernable,the same people started shouting that he was killing all the Northerners.......What else do you people expect from GEJ if not your hatred and your born to rule mentality......
DeleteIhejirika wiping out??? The guy was busy amassing wealth and building houses with the defence budget and you sentimental pple keep defending him? OK where did he get the money for his governorship ambition? Donors abi? Make Una kontunu, Una go soon know the truth.
DeleteClueless Government,doing nothing to alleviate the pains of insurgency,rather have full time to lambast back at any little provocation or alltrances from the opposition party..GEJ now accepted there is war in Nigeria,has he ended it? why gallivanting to another country to resolve their problem? God is watching you people..you think you can still get massive vote you got last time,then you are a joking Jona!!!! You permitted the massive looting going on in all the states now just to allow governors endorse you? God will judge you..
ReplyDeletemr publicity 4 president. ur bos is incapacitated 2 rul ds nation again. we d masses hv cn dt long ago stop heating the public wd empty & clueless ideas of urs.
ReplyDeleteYou will endure whatever till 2019 or u quickly get a rope to hang urself come 2015 bcos he will still be there or you witness the one more worst than Boko haram
DeleteU are idiot because of ur petroleum
DeleteUptil now who is APC bringing to fight insurgency Buhari? Or Atiku? Or who ? Nigeria you better be sensible .
ReplyDeleteMr. Okupe, you are totally wrong. People do resign when they cannot move the country forward. The president has not shown any indication that he is close to solving the BH matter. Al Qaeda bombed WTC and not take over and hoist flags on American cities, yet Donald Rumsfeld and other top advisers resigned. You Mr. adviser should resign to start with because the failure the president has had so far shows that you have not been giving him any good advice on public matters. Common how dare you make that comparison when thousands of Nigerians are dead and the government have done nothing about it.
ReplyDeletePlease the strength of every Govt is opposition so, what the APC is doing very natural and meant to keep you on your toes so that you can govern the people better. So, if you have nothing else to say, keep your mouth shut and annoy us less until we stop seeing you sycophants on national TV. I am not a fan of APC as all of you are the same but how dare you call someone else charlatan when you are the main charlatans. The country has lost more people than ever except the civil war genocide and you still have mouth to talk and still earn salary and steal tax payers money. Shame on you.