B’Haram: APC accuses Jonathan of insincerity

Interim National Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, Lai Mohammed
| credits: File copy

The All Progressives Congress on Tuesday accused the Federal Government of being insincere in its war against the terrorist Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

This was part of the communiqué read on behalf of the party, by its interim National publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, after a four-hour meeting at the party’s National Headquarters, in Abuja.

Mohammed said the APC was disappointed that the Federal Government had yet to reach out to it; in spite of a subsisting offer of assistance and an appeal to the Jonathan-led administration to convene a national security summit.

The party said, “We make bold to say that the Federal Government has been very insincere in its persistent call for national unity to combat the despicable Boko Haram sect.

“This has been manifest, perhaps more than at any other time, since the tragic abduction of over 200 school girls from Chibok over a month ago.

“Up to this moment, the Federal Government has yet to reach out to the APC, the main opposition party, on how to forge a common front against this despicable terror group, despite our incessant efforts to reach out to the government.

“Nigerians will recall our various interventions in which we stated clearly that only a non-partisan approach could help extricate Nigeria from the death grip of Boko Haram; how we have consistently called on the government to organise a national stakeholders’ summit to put all hands on deck and how we have made a number of recommendations which we feel can help pep up the fight against the terror group.

“The only response we have received so far is that in which the government said it had implemented or it is implementing those recommendations anyway, in what clearly amounts to an unnecessary hubris and a cold shoulder.”

According to the party, the Federal Government that has been calling on the international community for assistance must know that charity begins at home, and that for all hands to be on deck, the APC cannot be ignored.

A party that controls 16 out of 36 states and has over 40 Senators and over 150 members in the House of Representatives is too big to be ignored at a critical time like this in the life of our nation,” the party stated.

The party added that the fact that it controls the three hardest-hit states by the Boko Haram insurgency must make those in charge of the war effort realise that the APC could not be excluded from any serious effort to tackle the insurgency.

It added that it was interesting that the Federal Government that had been clamouring for support in the anti-terrorism fight did not deem it fit to even reach out to the APC ahead of its announcement of its extension of the state of emergency in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.