Opposition All Progressives Congress on Wednesday blamed an alleged desperation of President Goodluck Jonathan to return in 2015 for the escalation of insurgency and the loss of parts of the nation’s territory to Boko Haram.National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun, said this while addressing party faithful at a rally in Abuja on Wednesday.
Oyegun said the party organised the rally, which it tagged “salvation rally” to demonstrate its lack of confidence in the ability of the President to organise a free and fair election come February 2015.
Oyegun said, “President Goodluck Jonathan is so desperate to win re-election that it will now appear that there is a secret understanding that our security forces should turn a blind eye to the Boko Haram insurgency, so that the insurgents can occupy as much territory as possible and make elections impossible in these areas, knowing full well these are APC strongholds.
“Otherwise, how does one explain that local hunters carrying Dane guns and amulets are capable of dislodging the dreaded Boko Haram while our once proud army, which has distinguished itself in and out of the country, has failed?”
He described as idle talk calls for the President to declare total war on Boko Haram. The party chairman asked what the administration had been doing since it first declared a state of emergency in the states affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
“Or is the President saying that he declared and renewed the state of emergency several times only to cage the civil populace so that the insurgents can have a free rein?” he queried.
The APC chair said the war against the insurgents had become a tool for self enrichment and a tool to disenfranchise Nigerians, who are perceived not likely to vote for President Jonathan’s re-election.
He said everything pointed to the fact that the President’s handling of the Book Haram insurgency was aimed at disenfranchising persons perceived not to be in support of his re-election, especially in the north-eastern part of the country.
He added that the APC had it on good authority that as soon as the President receives the support of the National Assembly, there would be no elections in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
If the APC allegation is true, about five million Nigerians will be disenfranchised, hence the fear by the opposition that the re-election of Jonathan has become inevitable.
Oyegun also warned the Jonathan administration not to use the collection of Permanent Voters Cards and the Voter Continous Registration in 12 states of the federation as another tool against APC strongholds.
He cautioned the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, against allowing himself or the commission to be used to short-change Nigerians.
He also blasted the administration for declaring austerity measures after mismanaging the economy.
Earlier, the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, had said the President owed Nigerians an explanation about happenings in the North-East.
He said, “The President must tell us why our brothers and sisters are dying in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa and they are here enjoying in Abuja.
“The President must answer that why he is comfortable that Nigerians are dying and he is enjoying here. Today they insult us with what they call stomach infrastructure, this stomach infrastructure must stop.
“Three persons died in Bayelsa because they were sharing rice; that insult must stop. Nigerians must stop them. Today, the police must tell us whether they are the police for Nigerians or the police for Goodluck Jonathan.”
One of the party’s presidential aspirants and former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), said the PDP-led administration since 1999 had shown itself to be “inept, corrupt and undisciplined.”
“Try and find out what was the state of infrastructure in 1999, what it is now and what we have earned between then and now, it is then it will dawn on you how corrupt, inefficient and undisciplined the PDP is and its operators,” he said.
Buhari described Nigeria’s situation as precarious “because the nation is insecure and is becoming bankrupt because of ineptitude and corruption.”
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