APC, Ndigbo blame Jonathan for insurgency

 

President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent statement on violence in the country, including the Boko Haram attacks, has stirred controversy among socio-ethnic groups and prominent Nigerians.

The groups and individuals, in separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH, disagreed with the President that some people are behind the violence aimed at bringing down his government.

Jonathan, had at a church service on Sunday in Abuja to mark the 2014 Democracy Day, said those behind violence attacks in the country planned to bring down his government.

The President had said, “You can imagine if this government had not been facing these distractions within this period, definitely, we would have moved farther than this.

“All these distractions are planned to bring this government down and since they failed, terror will also fail.”

But the Ndigbo Unity Forum said Jonathan should hold himself responsible for the escalation of the insurgency in some parts of the country.

The President, Ndigbo Unity Forum, Mr. Augustine Chukwudum, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said, “The President has failed to act as the Commander-in-Chief. He has not brought the military to perform their duties as they ought. Let him do the right thing and the Boko Haram issue will die naturally.

“We have said it long ago that a former governor of Borno State should be arrested and prosecuted for his role in propping up Boko Haram insurgency. But the government has failed to do this.”

The Interim National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents.

He explained that the Boko Haram insurgency was targeted at all Nigerians irrespective of political party affiliation, religious or ethnic bias.

He said “With due respect, Mr. President is not getting the picture right. Boko Haram is not against President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. It is against all Nigerians.

“Boko Haram is not just the enemy of Jonathan. It is the enemy of the entire country. It is the enemy of Muslims and Christians; an enemy of the South, an enemy of the North, an enemy of Nigeria.

“Until Mr. President starts getting that right, he won’t get his approach right.

Calls made to the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisah Metuh’s number indicated it was switched off. He also didn’t respond to a text message sent to his telephone.

But his deputy, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo, described critics of the President Jonathan-led PDP administration’s handling of the war on terror as unfair.

He spoke in a telephone interview with Saturday PUNCH.

Jalo said, “As Nigerians, we are all victims of this terrorist group. The issue of Boko Haram is a national calamity; members of the group do not mean well for our country.

“Those accusing our President and our party of doing nothing are either misinformed or simply mischievous.”