Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, has said those calling for the resignation of President Goodluck Jonathan on account of the Boko Haram insurgency are unpatriotic
Anenih said the President who is doing his best to deal with the situation is focused on ensuring the safe release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, by the insurgents.
The BOT chairman said this in a statement entitled: ‘Let us unite against Boko Haram’ issued in Abuja, on Sunday.
According to him, it was time for all Nigerians, irrespective of regional, religious or political affiliations to unite behind the President in the fight against Boko Haram.
He appealed to opposition politicians to learn from the Westgate shopping mall killings in Kenya, where the opposition leader, Rahila Odinga, stood by President Uhuru Kenyatta while the latter was addressing Kenyans on the dastardly attack.
Anenih also recalled Americans and the British closed ranks and rallied support for their respective governments in the aftermath of al-Qaeda deadly attacks on their nations, pointing out that in none of these cases did the citizens call on their president or prime minister to resign.
The party leader expressed gratitude to the United Nations and the governments of France, United States of America and Great Britain for collaborating with Nigeria in the anti-terror war.
He also said it was heart warming to note that our Francophone neighbours, namely: Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic were on board.
The three-page statement partly read: “At a time that our nation is facing the menace of terrorism, it is of utmost importance that all Nigerians, irrespective of their regional, religious or political affiliations, should be united in supporting the Federal Government and all the security agencies in the fight to end terror in our country.
“As a father, I deeply sympathise with the parents of the abducted Chibok girls and pray for their safe return. No parent should have to experience what the parents of these innocent girls are passing through on account of this outrageous abduction by Boko Haram.
“I also understand the anger that has been expressed through the global #BringBackOurGirls movement and wish to state that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party are fully committed to ensuring the safe return of our daughters.
“I must, however, deplore the situation where some opposition politicians have tried to make political issues out of it by calling for the resignation of President Jonathan over a group that is waging war against the Nigerian state.
“Such behaviour is unbecoming of patriotic citizens of a democratic nation like Nigeria.”
Anenih said it was unfortunate that some Nigerians have forgotten so soon that the President has replaced service chiefs twice since he assumed office in a bid to bolster the operational efficiency of the military.
He also said the war against terrorism was a unique kind of confrontation which was unlike conventional warfare where enemy targets are easy to identify.
However, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the refusal of the President to visit Chibok since the abduction of the girls, was a clear indication that he does not understand the demands of his office.
He said the office requires that “in good/bad times, he is to be seen and heard as the lead celebrant/lead consoler for his compatriots. His statement (about why he did not visit) is the most pedestrian justification of a presidential faux pas ever.” The President, he said, has betrayed those who voted him into office.
Those calling for Jonathan"s resignation unpatriotic - Tony Anenih
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