Quit playing the Ostrich, ACN tells Presidency

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused the Presidency of
being too clever by half with its claim that the ongoing Rivers crisis
is not a threatto Nigeria's democracy, saying the crisis is not just a
threat to the nation'sdemocracy but also to the peaceful co-existence
of its people.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the Rivers crisis
looked 'normal' to the Presidency because it is the one behind it.
"Let us call a spade a spade: What is happening in Rivers State is not
normal. What is normal in five members of a 32-strong house seekingto
remove the Speaker supported by the remaining members? What is normal
in the Police Commissioner of astate labelling the state's Governor a
dictator and supporting renegade lawmakers to stir trouble? What is
normal in hired thugs stoning visiting Governors from another part of
the country?
"Should it not be clear to the Presidency what would have happened if
any of the four northern Governors had been mortally injured in the
attack on them by the hired thugs in Port Harcourt? In any case, is
itnot common knowledge that most of Nigeria's political crises have
originated from a state or regional crisis?" it queried.
ACN also slammed the Presidency for struggling so hard to convince
more discerning Nigerians that the outcome of the last NGF election
won by Gov. Chibuike Amaechi, at the expense of the presidency-backed
puppet candidate, was of no importance to it (Presidency).
"If the NGF election indeed meant nothing to the Presidency, as
claimed by an ever-so-deceitful presidential aide, why did the
President make it a referendum on his presidency? Would the Presidency
have described the outcome of the election as inconsequential if its
candidate had won? And if the outcome is inconsequential, why is the
Presidencystill aligning with its puppet candidateand describing him
as the Chairman of the NGF, even when it is universally acknowledged
that he lost the election?
"As we have said many times, no government can govern successfully by
deceiving the people, and certainly not in Nigeria where the people
are discerning enough to understand the antics of a power-drunk,
not-so-truthful Presidency. Here is a Presidency that seeks to
distance itselffrom the Rivers crisis while regularly playing host to
the leader of the renegade lawmakers from the state. This Presidency
should quit playing the Ostrich over the Rivers crisis!" the party
said.
It also accused the Presidency of seeking to distort the reason for
the visit to Gov. Amaechi by the progressive Governors, in an attempt
to demonize the four patriotic northern Governors who paid the same
visit earlier.
"The progressive Governors and the four northern Governors are on the
same page as far as the Rivers crisis is concerned. Their visits were
borne out of patriotic concerns that the crisis could endanger the
nation's democracy. It is therefore disingenuous to accuse the
northern Governors of meddling while praising the progressive
Governors.
"In his usually easily-excitable disposition, the presidential aide
who is always saddled with defending the indefensible failed to see
the satire in the advice that Gov. Amaechi should visit President
Jonathan over the crisis.Next time, we advise the presidential aide to
contextualize such a statementbefore rushing to the press to ridicule
himself," ACN said.