THE presidency Thursday took a swipe at former Governor of Lagos State and leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for seeking the resignation of President Goodluck Jonathan.
A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe in Abuja Thursday stressed that it was clear that Tinubu and other leaders in the APC who made the statement were merely seeking to enthrone anarchy in the country.
The statement reads in parts, “The suggestion by one of the leaders of the All Progressive Congress, Senator Bola Tinubu that President Goodluck Jonathan 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.
From right: President Goodluck Jonathan; Senator George Akume; Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Chief Bisi Akande at the consultative meeting between President Jonathan and leaders of six political parties at the State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.
“The assertion by Senator Tinubu at a political rally in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday that in “civilized” societies, the President should have resigned is unfounded and lacking in historical precedence.
“We challenge him to tell Nigerians which part of his “civilized” 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, 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.
“It is perhaps necessary to remind the APC leader that it was leading members of his party who vehemently opposed and openly criticized 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 act.
“It is therefore unfortunate that the APC, in its desperation for power and eagerness to make selfish political gains from insecurity, has shown a total lack of the spirit of Nationalism and statesmanship in its public comments on the challenges of insurgency in the North East.
“It is particularly sad that 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 are in the battlefield of the war against terror in the North East of this country.
“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.
“We wish to the remind the likes of Senator Tinubu that by the provisions of the Nigerian constitution, the only recognized means of changing a government is through the electoral process which comes every four years.
“If the APC leader has a problem about the chances of his political party winning an election, as he obviously does, he should not resort to brigandage, rather we will advise that they go back to the drawing board to rewrite their lack-luster, ill-defined and uninspiring manifestoes and see if they can sell it to the Nigerian public side by side with the well-articulated, dutifully executed and widely acclaimed Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.”
A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe in Abuja Thursday stressed that it was clear that Tinubu and other leaders in the APC who made the statement were merely seeking to enthrone anarchy in the country.
The statement reads in parts, “The suggestion by one of the leaders of the All Progressive Congress, Senator Bola Tinubu that President Goodluck Jonathan 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.
From right: President Goodluck Jonathan; Senator George Akume; Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Chief Bisi Akande at the consultative meeting between President Jonathan and leaders of six political parties at the State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.
“The assertion by Senator Tinubu at a political rally in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday that in “civilized” societies, the President should have resigned is unfounded and lacking in historical precedence.
“We challenge him to tell Nigerians which part of his “civilized” 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, 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.
“It is perhaps necessary to remind the APC leader that it was leading members of his party who vehemently opposed and openly criticized 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 act.
“It is therefore unfortunate that the APC, in its desperation for power and eagerness to make selfish political gains from insecurity, has shown a total lack of the spirit of Nationalism and statesmanship in its public comments on the challenges of insurgency in the North East.
“It is particularly sad that 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 are in the battlefield of the war against terror in the North East of this country.
“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.
“We wish to the remind the likes of Senator Tinubu that by the provisions of the Nigerian constitution, the only recognized means of changing a government is through the electoral process which comes every four years.
“If the APC leader has a problem about the chances of his political party winning an election, as he obviously does, he should not resort to brigandage, rather we will advise that they go back to the drawing board to rewrite their lack-luster, ill-defined and uninspiring manifestoes and see if they can sell it to the Nigerian public side by side with the well-articulated, dutifully executed and widely acclaimed Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.”
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