The National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Engr. Buba Galadima Wednesday accused President Goodluck Jonathan of politically victimising Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States by declaring state of emergency.
Galadima alleged that the affected states were opposed to the style of leadership by Jonathan, because they did not support his 2011 election ambition.
Galadima said: ”Our reaction is simply that we issued a statement yesterday, PDP and its government said that we are rumour mongers, that there was nothing in place, and now it stands out that we are right that the president was considering declaring state of emergency. In the course of the president’s broadcast, he made mention of some certain states, and most of these states are known to be politically opposed to his style of leadership.
“The states that the president imposed state of emergency are the states that did not support him in his 2011 elections. And from the broadcast the president is giving up himself order than security of lives and property for all intents and purposes that he did not secure before this state of emergency, and those soldiers do not have absolute authority in those states without interferences from the civil authority his 2010 ambition.
“It is our hope that the president is not using this state of emergencies in some of these states that are not in support of his policies to settle political scores. We are also afraid that the security agencies will not go out of their way to use this state of emergency as a licence to maim, kill and wipe out communities that the president himself feels is opposed to his political ambition. It is our hope that security agencies.
He said the action of soldiers sent by the federal government in these states led to the spate of insurgence experienced in the country, whereby they decided to pick up arms against the government.
“The insecurity was not caused by the so-called Boko Haram, but by the government who were killing people to make them to pick arms against government. This is my standard as somebody from Borno and Yobe. My people has been short-changed and killed arbitrarily.
“If the government continue to do what they have been doing they will make more enemies for themselves. No soldier has the right to shoot above the hips according the rules of engagement. We asked government to dialogue with them and they refused.
“I advised government on June 9, 2009, that they have no option than to dialogue with this people, but they refused until when it was too late, then they over stepped their bounds by killing innocent people,” Galadima stated.
Source: Vanguard
