Wednesday 16 July 2014
PDP, Jonathan benefiting massively from insurgency – APC
The National Leadership of the All Progressives Congress,
(APC), has accused the ruling party, the Peoples
Democratic Party, (PDP) of aiding, abetting and
benefiting from the Boko Haram insurgency, saying the
mismanagement of national resources, massive
corruption under the PDP watch and the incompetent
handling of what started as a localised insurgency have
been responsible for the festering crisis.
The party said this via a statement issued by the national
publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Yesterday,
Lagos.
The APC also accused the federal government of using the
fight against the insurgency as an excuse to punish and
witch-hunt the opposition, trample on civil liberties and
abuse national institutions on a scale that is
unprecedented in the country’s history.
The party also noted that if the PDP-led admistration had
not misgovern Nigeria since 1999, perhaps the country
could have been spared the cankerworm of terrorism,
epitomised more than anything else by the Boko Haram
insurgency.
APC said the Jonathan-led FG has been the biggest barrier
to the continued efforts to tackle Boko Haram, apparently
because the Jonathan administration has seen the
insurgency as its surest ticket to re-election and
international acceptance.
“Far from the baseless and irresponsible
accusations and finger-pointing by the PDP and
the government it controls at the centre, it is time
to tell Nigerians that the only reason the
insurgency has continued unabated is because the
PDP and the Jonathan administration
are benefiting massively from it.
“That explains their quick dismissal of our call for
an international inquiry to unravel the sponsors
and modus operandi of the terror group, while
latching on to what remains a mere conjecture on
the probe of Boko Haram links by the British
Parliament. Pray, which is bigger and more
authentic, a probe by the British Parliament or an
international inquiry? If the PDP and its cohorts
have nothing to hide, they would have embraced
that call. We maintain that only an international
inquiry can unravel those behind Boko Haram, and
we thank Nigerians for their favourable response
to our call,’’ APC said.
The
party
called
the
attention of Nigerians to the testimony given by a
US official, at the US House Foreign Affairs Sub-
committee on Africa’s hearing last Thursday in
Washington, identifying the human rights abuse
record and uncooperative attitude of the Nigerian
government and its military authorities as factors
hindering the security assistance offered to
Nigeria by the US to tackle Boko Haram.
‘’The Congress was told, by the Specialist at
African Affairs Congressional Research Service
Lauren Blanchard, that the Nigerian government
and its military had not been yielding to America’s
suggestions; that the main impediment to
America’s efforts to support Nigeria’s broader
response to Boko Haram is ‘gross violations
committed by the Nigerian forces, the Nigerian
government’s resistance to adopting a more
comprehensive approach to Boko Haram and the
continued lack of political will’.
“The Congress also heard that the he Nigerian
government has appeared reticent in some cases
to allow its security forces to participate in US
training programmes, adding: ‘Multiple systemic
factors further constrain the effectiveness of the
Nigerian security force’s response to Boko Haram,
notably security sector corruption and
mismanagement, and some of these factors
impede US support even for units that have been
cleared for assistance’.
‘’Does anyone need any more evidence of whose
cluelessness and incompetence have allowed
Boko Haram to fester to such a level that it has
killed over 3,000 people since the beginning of this
year alone? Does anyone need further evidence of
whose non-cooperative attitude with the US and
other foreign friends of Nigeria has been
responsible for the failed and tepid efforts to
tackle Boko Haram?’’ it queried.
APC said it is an undisputed fact that Boko Haram
emerged against the backdrop of intense poverty
and political misrule by the PDP since 1999.
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