Boko Haram is your baby, Buhari fires back at Jonathan
12:00 am
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By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North, DAPO AKINREFON, GBENGA OKE & Emmanuel Elebeke
ABUJA—Former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, slammed
President Goodluck Jonathan, describing the virulent sect, Boko Haram,
as a creation of the present administration.
President Jonathan, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public
Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe had on Tuesday challenged General Buhari to
persuade members of the sect to accept dialogue as a means of ending the
orgy of violence in the North.
General Buhari, who apparently was angered by the Presidency’s
attempt to link him with the sect, asked Jonathan to leave him alone and
find ways of resolving the Boko Haram crisis, which he said, was borne
out of the failure of his government.
President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)
Buhari, who fired back at Jonathan through the National Publicity
Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Mr. Rotimi
Fashakin, noted that it was wrong for the Presidency to accuse him of
not calling Boko Haram to order when he did not have any relationship
with the members.
He also faulted Okupe, for referring to Buhari’s presidential ambition as inordinate, saying that the attack was ill-motivated.
Fashakin said: “It is unfortunate that a presidential aide referred
to the legitimate desire of a statesman as inordinate. Away from the
uncouth posturing of Dr Okupe, it is apparent that this fellow is
conflating two unrelated issues and scenarios.
“If the people that initiated and executed the Niger Delta problem
decided to resolve it, what can anyone do about it? The Niger Delta
problem is totally different from the Boko Haram palaver.
“General Muhammadu Buhari has consistently asserted that the
political Boko Haram, the most virulent variant of the menace, is a
creation of Jonathan’s regime. So why should a Buhari that did not
understand the genesis of the funding and operation of this lethal unit
of the PDP-led federal government, now join in appeasing them?
“That explains why the Jonathan regime cannot talk about amnesty for
Boko Haram because it is akin to appeasing self. As a party, we strongly
advise the Federal Government to come clean to the Nigerian people. The
political Boko Haram is all about the Jonathan regime and no amount of
carefully-woven spin can hoodwink discerning Nigerians,” the CPC
spokesman declared.
Buhari’s statement followed Tuesday’s call on him by Jonathan’s
spokesman, Doyin Okupe, to lead the talks with Boko Haram to lay down
their arms and embrace dialogue as a means of ending the raging violence
in the north, which has claimed many lives and property.
Okupe had also asked Buhari to emulate the role Jonathan played by
going to meet militants in their vast hideouts in the Niger Delta to
plead with them to lay down their arms and accept the general amnesty
granted by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua on June 25, 2009.
Meanwhile, reactions have trailed the statements issued by both the Presidency and General Buhari.
It’s a ridiculous request —Musa
A Second Republic Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa
described the president’s appeal to Buhari as an insult. The former
governor said “this is an insult. How can Buhari ask Boko Haram to cease
fire? Is Buhari responsible for Boko Haram? Is he the president of
Nigeria? This is a ridiculous request and it amounts to some kind of
insult. A security issue of this magnitude is being turned into a light
matter.”
Request meant to entrap Buhari—Sagay
For constitutional lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay, the request by the
president is meant to entrap the former Head of State. Sagay, said: “Is
Buhari their representative? Is he the one sponsoring them? I don’t
think that is fair. There is no indication whatsoever that Buhari has a
link with Boko Haram. The request is meant to entrap Buhari and so, I
don’t think it is fair.”
Jonathan should be tolerant— Afenifere
On its part, Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation,
Afenifere enjoined President Jonathan to be tolerant. In a telephone chat with
Vanguard,
National Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr Yinka Odumakin said: “It
is for us to appreciate that the nation is faced with a serious crisis
that may consume everybody and therefore, we must find a way to solve
the problem.
Jonathan should vacate office if… — Junaid Mohammed
In his reaction to the face-off, SecondRepublic lawmaker, Dr Junaid
Mohammed, said if the President cannot stand the heat, he should vacate
office. Mohammed, in a telephone chat said: “As far as I am concerned,
the truth should not be subordinate to anybody’s view and people must
surely express their views and opinion on daily basis. So if Mr
President cannot stand the heat, he should throw in the towel because
whether he likes it or not, he should expect to be criticised.”
Boko Haram not Jonathan’s creation –Austin Opara
Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Austin
Opara said: “It is wrong for General Buhari to say Boko Haram is the
creation of President Jonathan’s government. It is absolutely wrong for
Buhari to accuse Mr President because we all live in this country and we
all know Boko Haram did not start with this government.”
FG will offer amnesty if… — Maku
In a related development, Minister of Information Mr. Labaran Maku
said the amnesty being canvassed for Boko Haram could only be
considered when the group opens up for dialogue and negotiation,
insisting that amnesty could not be the first option when nobody had
come out to discuss with the Federal Government.
Mr. Maku who stated this in a live programme on Channels Television
explained that amnesty is usually an outcome of discussions and
negotiations, whereby those being offered amnesty would accept it in
principle with conditions attached.
According to him, nowhere in the world was amnesty offered
unconditionally to a group that did not even come out to negotiate with
the government.
“Amnesty could be part of the solution but can only come out of the
process of dialogue and negotiations but offering it unconditionally is
not known. How does the President and Commander-in-Chief announce
amnesty without prior conversation, without prior negotiation, without
agreeing on anything, what it would mean is that the President has given
up and that’s a complete abdication,” he said.
He called on Nigerians, especially the political class not to
politicize the call for amnesty but to treat it as an urgent matter of
national security.
“Nigerians should not over-politicize this issue. People continue to
compare it with the Niger-Delta. We must not forget that amnesty in the
Niger-Delta came after a series of discussions and negotiations led by
leaders of the Niger Delta Region and the combatants in the creeks.
“It was after negotiations reached a certain point and there were
commitments that the issue of amnesty came up. It was not just offered
without condition and negotiation, so I think politicians should allow
this matter to be taken as a security and national issue and those
looking for votes in 2015 should not unduly over-politicize this issue
of amnesty,” he stated.
