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The All Progressives Congress (APC) Thursday said it was stupefied by the comments credited to the National Women Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mrs. Kema Chikwe, who expressed doubts about the abduction of over 200 school girls from Chibok in Borno State. The party said by her comments, Chikwe had simply crossed the line and plumbed the depths of absurdity and insensitivity.
In a statement issued by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party expressed concern that such a careless and insensitive statement could be made by a woman, a mother, a grandmother and a top official of the ruling PDP over an issue that is undoubtedly the worst tragedy and biggest embarrassment to Nigeria.
Chikwe, was alleged to have said during an inter-faith prayer session of Christians and Muslims in Abuja that the authorities of the Government Girls’ Secondary School should release the names and pictures of the 234 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram members.
However, the APC said the alleged comment had raised even more concern because of the position in the ruling party which Chikwe occupies, wondering if her statement represented the opinion of the ruling party or the unstated stand of the presidency – in which case it will explain the federal government’s dawdling approach to the rescue of the girls.
‘’It has been said that politics should not be brought into issues of national security. But how can anyone keep quiet in the face of this glaring assault on the sensitivity of a whole nation by a supposed leader of the ruling party? Who indeed is attempting to politicise a national tragedy, undoubtedly the worst in the history of our nation.
‘’Does this explain why the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has not deemed it fit to make a national broadcast to assure a dumbstruck nation that he is indeed in charge, to give hope to the shell-shocked parents of the girls and to inspire the military, three weeks after this unprecedented national tragedy?
“ Is this why the President and Commander-in-Chief has yet to visit Chibok? If security concerns are responsible for the President’s failure to visit Chibok, how is it possible for Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno to have visited the school, even in defiance of intelligence reports? If the military cannot make Chibok safe for its Commander-in-Chief to visit, who in that town is safe? We submit that no part of this country should be out of bounds to the President and Commander-in-Chief. No where in which our military men and women are deployed should be out of bounds to our president and Commander-in-Chief,’’ APC said.
The party said it was outrageous and unconscionable that anyone, least of all a woman, mother, grandmother and a top ranking ruling party official would attempt to trivialise the pains of losing one’s daughters to unstable, primitive and blood-thirsty hoodlums, even when photographic and other evidences abound of the efforts being made by the parents to personally rescue their children.
It wondered whether the hapless parents who had, despite the risks to their own lives, taken to the Sambisa forest in search of their children could have gone there on a picnic, if anyone would still be
raising doubts whether their children were indeed abducted.
‘’A fringe group first mooted this idea of the abduction not being real and was ignored. But now that it has been raised to the level of a party’s stand, it is time for all Nigerians to speak out and condemn this absurdity. Is Chikwe saying that the military that has been working round the clock to rescue the girls is only play acting? Is she also saying that the President who called an expanded National Security Council meeting on the issue is only horsing around? Enough of this absurdity.
‘’We urged our patriotic soldiers and indeed all concerned to ensure that these innocent girls are returned home safely to their parents. We commend all the groups that have staged public protests to force the authorities to act faster on this issue for their efforts. We say all hands must be on deck to end this national nightmare as soon as possible,’’ the opposition party said.
But in a swift reaction to the attacks on it and its National Women Leader, the PDP said it would not be distracted in ensuring that the abducted students return home safely.
The party said the prayer session organised by Chikwe was aimed at ensuring the quick release of the abducted girls.
In a statement she personally issued clarifying her utterances at the prayer session, Chikwe said as a mother, she was highly pained by the abduction of the female students.
The statement read: “My attention has been drawn to reports in some sections of the media regarding my speech at the occasion of the PDP women’s prayer session organised on April 30 to among others things, seek divine intervention for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
“As a mother, I have remained heartbroken and deeply pained by the unfortunate incident. My heart and thoughts have continued to go out to these girls and their families, hence my decision to mobilise other women to pray for them. Our prayer points included prayers for security in Nigeria, prayers for the quick recovery of the victims of the Nyanya bomb blast and consolation prayers for families of the dead, prayers for the release of the abducted Chibok school girls in Borno State, prayers for all terrorist victims in Nigeria, and prayers for Nigerian women and children, amongst other prayer points. Christian and Muslim religious leaders led these prayers.
“However, it has come to my attention that part of my speech at the prayer session especially the questions I raised concerning the circumstances surrounding the abduction of these innocent girls was largely misunderstood.
Indeed with every sense of responsibility, I wish to reiterate that this is not the time to sensationalise issues particularly those relating to these innocent girls whose fate we are all deeply worried about.
“In this regard, we all must ensure that we are not distracted in anyway whatsoever but collectively focus our energies towards actions that will accelerate the rescue and safe return of these girls to their families, a cause for which I and the PDP family will continue in prayers.
“I therefore appeal to all Nigerians, especially the women not to relent but continue to pray along with me especially as we have been reassured that the Government and the security agencies are doing their best to ensure the rescue of our daughters.”
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