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Buhari Politicising Dapchi School Girls’ Abduction -PDP …Urges NASS To Override President On Polls Sequence Bill
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it is “iniquitous for President Muhammadu Buhari to attempt to use the heartbreaking abduction of innocent schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State, to score cheap political points.”
The party expressed shock that “President Buhari could do so right before our grief-stricken parents.”
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, the PDP said the comments by the President “as well as his aloofness to the people in the troubled states, so far visited, have all confirmed that the belated visits were mere afterthoughts orchestrated for political reasons and not out of any genuine concern for the victims.”
The PDP also said that “the President’s morbid comparison of the Dapchi incident to similar heartrending abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014,” appears pregnant with meaning, “especially in the face of pervading speculations and conspiracy theorems that trailed the Dapchi abduction and its associated conflicting reports.”
The party noted that more disheartening was the attempts by the President to politicize killings in troubled states “and particularly the abduction of our innocent Dapchi daughters, right in the presence of their distraught parents.”
According to the PDP, “When the President went to Taraba, he made a morbid comparison of more people being killed in one state than the other, as if human life is valued in figures.
“This time, he went on an ill-conceived political ego venture and self-praise with the abduction of our Dapchi daughters,” the statement added.
The PDP said it agrees no less with Nigerians that this development is worrisome.
It said this was particularly so given the sequence of events that trailed the incident.
According to the party, “Nigerians can recall how the Presidency deployed a team of officials led by the minister of information and culture to Yobe State, ostensibly for a media stunt. What followed was the release of a false rescue report by yet to be ascertained individuals or agency and statements by sponsored groups praising the Presidency for illusionary ‘swift rescue operations’ while the abductors were fleeing deeper into unknown recesses.
“Nigerians need to know; is there a heinous script in which our innocent daughters in Dapchi have become pawns? Who is behind the initial false rescue report and what point was it meant to serve? Was it designed to promote a political stunt?
“Moreover, why has the Presidency not taken critical steps to unravel the mystery behind the report and those who scripted it?
“These are some of the reasons we urged the National Assembly to institute an independent inquest into the Dapchi abduction and make its findings public.
“Furthermore, we still wonder why the parents of the Dapchi girls were not allowed enough opportunity to have direct interaction with the President during the visit to Yobe State.
“Was it to bar them from taking the President to task on issues surrounding the abduction, including the alleged removal of troops before the attack as well as speculations and allegations of conspiracy theorems which have been promoted by conflicting reports and disagreements among government agencies and officials on the ugly incident?
“The PDP holds that issues of security and well-being of our people must not be reduced to political drama for any reason and under any guise whatsoever. Such is completely evil, iniquitous and unpardonable.
“We, therefore, charge Mr. President to stop every action in this direction as such is portraying our nation as inhumane, callous and cold-hearted.
“Finally, we charge the Presidency and the APC to understand that profane gimmicks cannot help their doomed re-election bid as Nigerians have seen through their lies and propaganda and are now rallying with the repositioned platform of the PDP to rescue our dear nation from the painful misrule of the APC,” the party added.
Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the National Assembly to override President Muhammadu Buhari and pass the amendment it effected on the sequence of the upcoming 2019 elections.
It said that the APC-led Federal Government was jittery over the amendment which pushed the presidential election backward, saying the ruling party was afraid it would lose the election.
Speaking to newsmen, in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Mr. Onyekachi Nwebonyi, said that President Buhari and his APC have failed Nigerians and were afraid they would be voted out come 2019.
Nwebonyi’s words, “I support the decision of the National Assembly; the election of the President should come last. The President should stay aside and watch other elections, that is, if we actually want to get it right; the fact about the election is that when you have elected the President definitely everybody would want to cue behind the presidency. So, let us start from the bottom to the top.
“The National Assembly didn’t change the date; it is talking about the sequence of the election and the National Assembly has the veto power to operate within the ambit of the law. So, anybody has right to go to court but am telling you that as a lawyer that at the end of the day the veto of the National Assembly will stand.
“If the president fails to accent to that bill, after sometime in line with the constitution of the country, what the national assembly has done will become a law and it will stand”, he said.
“If you are on ground and you have peace with the people, the sequence or date of the election shouldn’t be your problem; unlike when former President Jonathan was in power some people said he should change Prof. Jega but we said no because we have nothing to lose because we are not afraid of anything; we are a party that abides by the rule of law; if Nigerians say they don’t want PDP as they said we will quietly and honourably step aside.
“Nigerians have tested that other side of the coin and they have now seen the need for PDP to come back; and I want to thank Nigerians for embracing PDP. If PDP eventually gets back to power we are not going to fail Nigerians”, he boasted.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.