…blames Kaduna state government for increasing bloodletting
ABUJA – After a cursory assessment of the state of affairs in the Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari ‘s led administration, saying there is no indication that the country has a substantive Commander-in-Chief.
This is even as the party bemoaned what it called worsening security situation in the country following an increasing spate of bloodletting in some parts of the country.
Addressing a world press conference on Friday entitled “Do we still have a government?” at the PDP Presidential Campaign Headquarters, Abuja, national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus said President Buhari’s handling of the nation’s affairs has fetched the nation more harm than good.
He said: “The apparent incompetence of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the handling of affairs of governance has continued to take a huge toll on the nation. The security situation has been such that prominent Nigerian clerics have been raising serious concern on the issue of leadership, even questioning whether we really have a Commander-in-Chief in this country.
“While the Presidency continues to argue that there exists a government in our country today, what obtains in reality is different. The level of bloodletting occasioned by the barrage of criminalities across the country can only be happening in a country without government.
“Things got even worse as the remaining goodwill of the people on this government vanished after it arm-twisted the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, into tampering with the will of the people in the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly Elections.
“There is no evidence of the presence of government in this country as crimes of all kinds are committed all over the country and Nigerians have never lived in such great fear and trembling for their lives.”
Secondus bemoaned the apparent failure of government to tame criminality in the land saying “From Kaduna to Zamfara, Benue to Taraba, Plateau, Lagos to Enugu etc., bloodletting is continuing unabated, even the President’s home state of Katsina has lost about eight local government areas to bandits, not to talk of the North East.
“Just last week a female foreign humanitarian worker, Faye Mooney, a Briton was brutally shot dead in Kajuru, Kaduna state. The situation has deteriorated to the extent that this country can no longer protect the lives of international aid workers who are here to help us clear our mess.
“The senseless continuous bloodletting in Kaduna state should be blamed on the type of provocative leadership existing in that state and indirectly encouraged by the federal government. The ‘body bag’ governor in the state does not seem to know how to engender peace among the people, his actions and utterances facilitate instead of ameliorating the ill feelings among the people.”
He continued: “Rather than give teeth to governance and address biting national issues of concern like the insecurity, this government exerts all its energies and resources planning nefariously how to undermine democratic institutions.
“After its several attempts to hijack the legislature failed, it turned to the Judiciary ridiculing the revered third arm of the government to the point of removing their confidence.
“The executive backed humiliation of the head of the Judiciary, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen is a well-designed strategy by the APC administration to intimidate and coerce judicial officers particularly the Judges and Justices to fall in line and endorse all their undemocratic behaviours that is bound to come to the judiciary for adjudication.”
The PDP boss further enjoined judicial officers particularly those handling election matters to be guided by the provisions of the law at all time.
“They should know that providence has placed in their laps the opportunity to make positive history and enshrine justice and fair play in our society knowing as a fact that no nation grows on injustice and injustice breed crisis.
“The Judiciary should also know that the global community are watching to see the calibre of characters in the nation’s judiciary. He also urged Nigerian leaders through you the media to “speak up on the situation in the country and not wait until the nation finally grounds to halt before they voice out.”
“I also while appreciating the good work of the media as the 4th estate of realm urges them to do more in condemning the deliberate bastardization of critical institutions of democracy and clear destruction of separation of power among the three arms of government.
“The media should as they have always done to stand up and avert the emerging dictatorial tendencies which always begins by trying to subjugate the other arms of government.”
Secondus tasked Nigerians to condemn Buhari’s recent trip to the United Kingdom, saying a patriotic President would have stay put in the land to find lasting solutions to the security situation in the country.
With report from VANGUARD
