The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as utterly insensitive and absolutely callous the decision by President Goodluck Jonathan to declare his second term ambition a day after almost 50 students were killed and about 80 injured in a suicide bombing in Potiskum, accusing the President of dancing on the graves of the students as well as of all the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency.
”Since this President has chosen to celebrate a national tragedy, Nigerians should also be ready to celebrate his electoral failure next year,” the party said in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
”Today, the three North-east states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe are in danger of being overrun by Boko Haram and over 650,000 Nigerians are internally displaced in those states by the insurgency.
Yet, President Jonathan says he puts Nigerians first. Lies have never worn a bolder face. The truth is that for President Jonathan, it is Jonathan first, Jonathan second, Jonathan third, Jonathan always!” it said.
APC said by his latest act of blatant hardheartedness, President Jonathan is only continuing along his well-trodden path of acting without deep introspection.
”When about 60 students were killed in the terror attack on the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, in February 2014, President Jonathan never visited the scene to commiserate with the families of the victims. When over 80 people were killed in the first Nyanya bombing in April 2014, President Jonathan went dancing ‘Azonto’ in Kano less than 48 hours later.
And when almost 300 girls were freshly abducted in Chibok, President Jonathan neither acted fast enough to rescue the girls nor visited the village. His Administration even denied anyone was abducted, until 19 days after!
”This President has therefore established a pattern of putting his political interest above the security and welfare of Nigerians who voted him into office. This President has trampled upon the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which makes the security and welfare of the citizenry the raison d’etre of the government’s existence. It is time for Nigerians to respond in kind by trampling on his political ambition and sending him back to Otuoke,” the party said.
It wondered what purpose the so-called Safe Schools Initiative of the federal government is serving when over 70 students were killed and more than 100 maimed within a week in two separate attacks targetting schools in Potiskum alone, saying: ”The Safe Schools Initiative will remain a mere tokenism until the fundamental problem of insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives, is conclusively addressed. Mr. President, what Nigerians want is not an isolated Safe Schools Initiative, but a Safe Nigeria Initiative.”
APC said it is usually the practice for leaders who seek re-election to tout the achievements that will justify their return, adding, however, that in the case of President Jonathan, there has been nothing but blood, tears, sorrow and the gnashing of teeth by Nigerians since he assumed office, hence he has nothing to showcase but lies!
The party wondered how President Jonathan could, in all good conscience, even ask Nigerians to re-elect him when he has wasted the mandate given to him in the first instance, adding that nothing shows the President’s incompetence and cluelessness more than the failure of his administration to provide security for the citizenry
”This is undoubtedly President Jonathan’s biggest and most fundamental failure. At times it goes beyond incompetence to perhaps even collusion, or how else does one explain that the rate and intensity of attacks have increased in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe since they were placed under a state of emergency last year?
”How does one explain that more lives are being lost to the insurgency at a rate that is directly proportional to the increase in spending on defence and security? From 5.07 billion US dollars in 2010 to 7.12 billion US dollars in 2014, the Boko Haram Insurgency has fuelled increases in security spending to around 25% of annual federal government budget. In light of the rebasing of Nigeria’s GDP (put at N80.3 trillion or $509.9 billion), the yearly average for 2010-14, which is $6.58 billion, is equal to 1.3% of GDP, while the total for the 5 budget years amounts to 6.5% of Nigeria’s GDP.
”Instead of asking Nigerians to vote for him again, President Jonathan should be apologizing to Nigerians for wasting their mandate and explaining why, since his Administration has increased security spending; declared and renewed emergency rule, issued propaganda claiming the capture and killing of Boko Haram members (including the leader Abubakar Shekau), destruction of Boko Haram camps, and countless assurances of improving security and winning the battle against Boko Haram, the empirical realities over the same period are that Boko Haram has become more daring and audacious in its attacks,” it said.
The party said instead of the transformation that President Jonathan promised Nigerians, he has delivered transmogrification, with unprecedented corruption, runaway unemployment, erasure of hope, total darkness even with millions of Naira sunk into the power sector and trains that are grinding their way to a long-forgotten past of locomotives in an era of bullet trains.
”President Jonathan, the Nigerians who turned up at the Eagle Square on Tuesday to witness your declaration may have looked vibrant and happy. Indeed, they were, because they have come to celebrate your imminent departure from office on the strength of their votes. While saying publicly that they will support you, there is no doubt that they are saying to themselves: Never Again!” it said. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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I really don't understand the kind of politics we run in Nigeria. 'M beginning to think that the APC is part of boko horam, if not Lai Mohammed wouldn't be hell bent on trying to tarnish the image of the PDP! Agreed the PDP isn't doing so well, but this is no way to go about it. The APC should sit and re-strategize, because this method aint working
ReplyDeleteAPC does not have any strategy, they are bereft of ideas, logic, sense of reasoning etc. All they know is to criticise destructively with reckless abandon. Their strategy is only campaign of columny Boko Haram is the military wing of APC. Anytime the president has function, they will bomb just to destabilise and rattle the president. Nigerians are wiser now. Lai, Lai Mohammed, how do you feel killing your own people in the name of making the country ungovernable??, you feel happy ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?. Kill all your people, useless Aboki cow
DeleteMake una de cry. No be una send ya boys and girls say make dem de kill. Wetin concern GEJ. A beg Oga Jona make una carry go jare.
DeleteThe worst goverment so far.
ReplyDeleteYes! You can say dat again. GEJ addmostrative is the worst govt. So far.
DeleteI am beginning to think that APC have hands in all that is happening just to blame it on the PDP to grab power by all means. I am not a fan of PDP, I think APC have nothing to offer, since PDP and GEJ is their manifesto it shows that they have nothing to offer, anybody claiming to be a saviour that has the solution of the hour don't go about running it's mouth destroying other people tell us what you have to offer. Of course you have gej to offer mind you Nigerians are no fools. Don't give power to a power drunk he will do worst than gej. PDP is not perfect neither is APC.
ReplyDeleteApc will alway send boko haram to strike any time Jonathan has fix a date for any function so they can have some thing to say concerning such occasion. The blood of the innocent will battle you forever
ReplyDeleteAPC are the true sponsor of BH, so keep crying, one day if there is no one left to kill BH will turn around and start killing there maker.
ReplyDelete