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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reiterated its calls on Nigerians to stand up and resist unpatriotic elements whose actions and utterances have continued to fuel insurgency in the country.
This came as the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar, Tuesday warned Nigerians against all forms of divisive, inflammatory and provocative statements capable of heating up the polity and distracting investigators.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, said inflammatory utterances by certain key politicians against the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan, sparked off hatred against the administration by their followers, while attracting impudent insurgents, who started demanding the ouster of the president with threats to cripple the system through acts of terrorism .
“When the PDP said the APC is responsible for the spate of terror in Nigeria, many had an emotional response, but it is now time to dispassionately focus on the facts in order to stop the carnage on innocent Nigerians.
“Whilst we concede that insurgency existed in the nation before the advent of the current administration, we wish to point out that inflammatory utterances from leaders, many of whom by design or otherwise, are now chieftains of the APC have succeeded in emboldening them to launch large scale attacks, maiming and killing our people, believing their actions enjoy the approval of such leaders,” the statement said.
The party observed that such utterances would likely have prompted donations in support of insurgency from followers of such leaders, who thought they were sponsoring a worthy cause.
It noted that these key figures never condemned acts of terrorism and the killings until well-meaning Nigerians started pointing accusing fingers at them.
“They rather blamed government for not reaching out to pacify the terrorists instead of helping to find solutions. They relished in comments which inspired violence and embolden insurgents against the system,” the statement said. The party insisted that it was not a coincidence that after General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) beckoned on his supporters to go on killing spree should he lose the 2011 presidential election, an unprecedented violence broke out, claiming the lives of hundreds of innocent Nigerians.
“Not satisfied with the enormity of the mayhem and bloodletting of 2011, Buhari on May 14, 2012, said: “If what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.
“Nigerians have not forgotten that former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, in a spirited bid to stop President Jonathan from contesting the 2011 election, declared on December 14, 2010, that ‘those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable.’
“Atiku’s statement was collaborated by one his close associates, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, who in October 2010, while rejecting the emergence of a president from the South, also said: ‘the North is determined, if it happens, to make the country ungovernable for President Jonathan or any other southerner who finds his way to the seat of power…Even if he uses incumbency power to get his nomination on the platform of the PDP, he would be frustrated out.’
“On January 23, APC Deputy National Secretary, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, said: ‘The next election is likely to be violent and many people are likely going to die. And the only alternative left to get power is to take it by force; this is the reality on ground.’
“Are we not now witnessing a foretaste of the bloodbath promised by Buhari and el-Rufai? Is this not the ‘violent change’ promised by Atiku? How many people have to die before Nigerians call a spade a spade and not a farming implement?
“We were not surprised when Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi now a leader in the APC, while inciting his followers recently said, ‘I came to Bori to prove to you that you don’t need to run away from violence. If a man is chasing you with AK-47, you should carry machine gun and the man will call for peace.
“We also recall recent statement by the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima wherein he posited that the insurgents were better armed and better motivated than our security forces. This was deliberately directed at weakening and undermining the security forces while emboldening insurgents. No wonder that after Shettima’s statement, insurgents were encouraged to launch more deadly attacks on our security forces and staged a comeback to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This is in addition to statements by Governor Nyako of Adamawa State who continually, ridicules the office and person of the president to portray the administration as weak in fighting terrorism,” the statement said
The party insisted that the reason the APC leaders were promoting insurgency was not only to distract the president and rubbish his score card but also to unleash unprecedented mayhem, divide the people and forcefully take over power when it loses the 2015 general election.
It said that its statement Monday which again linked the Nyanya bombing to the utterances of the opposition was a clear stand and a warning that the PDP would henceforth go beyond shedding tears at each carnage, to exposing the enemies of the nation, so as to limit all reckless statements which have been fueling insurgency.
“It is easier to stop at shedding tears after each carnage. This, the PDP has severally done. The difficult part however, lies in attempting to limit reckless statements which fuel violence. We believe this will go a long way to stopping those who instigate violence through utterances and shed crocodile tears thereafter,” it said.
The party vowed to continue to protect the welfare and interest of Nigerians adding that the citizens and the federal government will not succumb to the designs of unpatriotic elements.
“Indeed, the peace, unity and stability of this country remain non-negotiable. They can bomb and attack, but one thing is sure; they cannot kill the Nigerian spirit in our people and our collective resolve to live together as one nation under God.
“The leadership of the PDP and the government we formed shall not be cowed, intimidated, harassed or tele-guided by acts of terrorism. The PDP is willing, able and ready to sustain the unity and stability of this country. We therefore call on all Nigerians to stand up and collectively defend our common destiny by openly condemning acts of terrorism and exposing those behind them,” the statement said.
Meanwhile IG’s warning which came through a statement signed by the Force spokesperson, Frank Mba, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), also urged all Nigerians to rise in unity and firmly stand their grounds against terrorism.
Speaking on the recent unfortunate terrorist attack on Nyanya Motor Park, on the outskirts of Abuja, the police boss stated that such occasion calls for a united fight against the ‘common enemies of our land.
He charged the citizenry to shed all political, ethnic, religious or sectional leanings and rally round the national flag at this trying moment of our nationhood, by remaining vigilant and cooperating with the security agencies in their bid to stamp out terrorism.
While calling on Nigerians to supply relevant information to the police and other security agencies, the police boss stated that they are not only bent on tracking down the perpetrators of this heinous crime, but are also taking stronger measures to review current security strategies and strengthen the safety of all parts of the country.
He called on the people to contribute in their various capacities in providing the needed support for the victims of the blast.
It is also the promise of the IG that the Force was taking adequate measure to expedite all administrative processes and investigative procedures to enable it release the bodies of victims to their relatives without delay.
Similarly, the IG also appealed to the media to positively deploy their communication tools in order to help in healing the wounds of terrorism and not to exacerbate them through exaggerated and lopsided negative reportage.
He equally advises them to respect the privacy of the victims and exercise restraint in the use of gory and offensive images capable of causing further trauma to the grieving citizens.
While assuring Nigerians that the police and other security agencies will continue to intensify efforts at ensuring the safety and security of all parts of the country, the IG adds that the present challenge has further strengthened the commitment of the police to an improved internal security.
He noted investigations into the unfortunate attack are ongoing as security operatives are deploying the best investigative tools that will yield the desired results.
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