Rasheed, Dapo Falade, Jacob Segun-Olatunji, And
Kolawole Daniel.
SECURITY operatives in the country may, any
moment from now, invite the leadership of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) over what is termed
"serious threat to national security."
Indications emerged in Abuja on Friday that the
different agencies had been monitoring
statements credited to notable figures in the
country, especially political leaders, and had
decided to draw a line between mere politicking
and subversion.
The APC said in a communiqué issued at the end
of its National Executive Committee (NEC)
meeting on Thursday that it had mandated its
legislators in the National Assembly to block all
executive bills as well as confirmation of
ministerial nominees and the service chiefs.
Those that may be invited, according to a security
source, include APC national chairman, Chief Bisi
Akande, General Muhammadu Buhari, Senator
Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Lai Muhammed.
Sources told the Saturday Tribune that the
security operatives believe that the time has
come to do all within their powers to build peace
rather than allow some persons sow seeds of
discord among the people.
"After analysing the details and implication of the
statement credited to officials of the APC on
Thursday, the agencies of government came to
the conclusion that there was the need to seek
further clarifications from the party officials.
"The job of the security operatives is not to jump
up and risk their lives when crises have already
broken out, but to nip crises in the bud," a source
said, adding that anyone linked with any
provocative statement henceforth would be
interrogated by the agencies.
But it was gathered that the agencies plan to be
civil as much as possible also do everything
possible to separate politics from its task.
"The fact that a politician has said something does
not give him or her immunity from being
investigated. That will not also blackmail the
security operatives from doing their job. We will
separate crime from politics," a highly placed
source said, while not giving out the period set out
for the interrogation of the APC officials.
Afenifere, others kick
The pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, on Friday
condemned the directive issued by the APC to its
members in the National Assembly to work
against the interest of the Federal Government.
Spokesman of the group, Mr Yinka Odumakin, told
the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the
directive was tantamount to shutting down the
country.
"The most dangerous of the APC's
recommendation is encouraging its members to
engage in things that may lead to instability. The
APC fails to think of the implications of not passing
the budget and its effect on Nigerian masses.
"Also, if approval for the service chiefs is not given
by the National Assembly because of political
disagreements in a state, it may lead to mutiny.
This recommendation is also coming at a time
when Boko Haram is intensifying its activities in
Nigeria. We condemn this directive in its totality
because it is a threat to our democracy," he said.
In his reaction, the Lagos State Chairman of the
Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Mr Ehi
Omokhuale, described the directive as insensitive.
"Politicians should limit their selfish fights to
themselves. The APC wants to use its political
interest to affect the welfare of Nigerian citizens.
We do not support it and we demand that the
party retraces its steps on this issue immediately,"
Omokhuale said.
Also speaking, Mr Adesina Animashaun, the
National Chairman of the Patriotic Vanguard, a
non-governmental body, said that the directive
might lead to anarchy.
"It is unfathomable how a party leadership could
meet and issue such directive. The masses will
definitely be at the receiving end and it will put
Nigeria in a big crisis," he said.
He urged APC members in the National Assembly
to disregard the directive and do what is right for
"God and man."
APC inciting military - Labour Party
The Labour Party at a press conference in Abuja
on Friday said the directive by the APC to block
confirmation of military chiefs "is an attempt to
anger the military to think and reconsider their
roles in the Nigerian nation and democracy."
Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, the National Chairman of
the party, said "The real reason is to anger the
military. The real reason is to push for military
coup. We are talking about senior military officers
who have over the years laid down their lives for
the nation and Nigerian people, who no doubt
deserve appointments to the highest positions in
their career."
He said: "We must not allow power mongers and
desperate politicians, particularly those who were
part and parcel of the story of the sorry state
Nigeria found itself, to truncate our hard-earned
democracy. The president must not allow himself
to be intimidated by the mischievous antics of the
APC political leaders who are so desperate for
power that they do not want to wait for 2015
when Nigerian electorate will exercise their
inalienable rights to choose their leader."
He described the resolution of APC committee as
subversive, insensitive and unpatriotic to the
fragile Nigerian heterogeneous and multi- ethnic
society. "We condemn very strongly the
extremism and fundamentalism that the APC has
come to be associated with. What APC has
proposed to do is a recipe for the disintegration of
the Nigerian state. It is, therefore, an ill wind that
will blow no one any good. The desire and the
quest of APC to win the 2015 presidential election
will remain a pipe dream if there is no Nigeria for
them to govern."
'Critics are illiterates'
APC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in his
reaction, described those criticising the party's
position as a bunch of illiterates who need a study
on democracy to be able to appreciate that a
government under which impunity reigns deserves
to be shut down.
"A government under which people are being
attacked, rights being stepped upon should be
shut down, and does not need a budget. That's
democracy. Democracy allows us to do it and
that's what we have done," he said in a telephone
interview with Saturday Tribune.
"Where were Afenifere and the Labour Party when
13,000 teachers going to collect their letters of
appointment were dispersed with teargas? Where
were they when Senator (Magnus) Abe was shot
with a rubber bullet? They kept quiet in the face of
impunity and they are now criticising us for doing
the right thing democratically," Muhammed said.
But a PDP legislator representing Ogo-Oluwa/
Surulere Federal Constituency, Honourable Segun
Odebunmi, on Friday described the APC's directive
as an invitation to anarchy, stemming from
ignorance of its effect on national security.
Odebunmi, in a statement made available to
Saturday Tribune, said it was a decision taken out
of lack of concern for the collective national
interest.
"First and foremost, I want to say that our national
interest should be above partisan, religious and
regional interest. APC, as a party, is sentimental
and it lacks the moral justification to give such
order to its legislators, knowing fully well that they
are not unconscious of the national security of this
great nation and the hard-earned democracy.
"This act is purely an invitation to anarchy and it
shows how regionally biased they are. Since the
inception of this seventh National Assembly, the
House of Representatives has been conscious of
issues affecting lives and properties of Nigerians
home and abroad, irrespective of their political or
religious interests.
"APC should rather focus on national issues and
stop toying with issues affecting the masses other
than ordering the blockage of executive bills,
especially the 2014 budget and the ratification of
the service chiefs that will create vacuum in the
national security.
"It is obvious that APC is not an alternative to the
PDP because of its selfish style of politics.
Nigerians should beware."
Nothing wrong with govt shutdown -
Gbajabiamila
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila,
on Friday said there was nothing wrong with APC's
directive.
The legislator, however, said "the progressive
lawmakers would not truncate the country's hard-
earned democracy. We will do what we need to
do to ensure good governance in our country.
"Government shutdown or filibustering is nothing
new in party politics world over. When
government isn't shut down and successive
budgets have been passed, of what benefit has it
been to the common man?
"The end justifies the means - the end in this
context being good governance, and the means
extraordinary measures such as this,"
Gbajabiamila stated.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
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