The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of insensitivity to the killings in the country and other challenges Nigerians are suffering from.
The PDP in a statement on Sunday said it is callous and an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians for many government leaders to have gathered on Saturday in Katsina State for the turbaning ceremony of President Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf.
Naija News recalls Yusuf was turbaned as the new District Head of Kwasarawa, Duara in Katsina State. He was turbaned as Taliban Daura by the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk.
The event attracted the presence of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, SGF Boss Mustapha, Ministers, State Governors, and many other top government functionaries.
However, the PDP in a statement on Sunday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba said it is worrying that the APC-led federal government felt comfortable ignoring the escalating violence in several parts of the country caused by bandits, terrorists, and other criminals and chose to have a lavish ceremony in Katsina State.
The party called on President Muhammadu Buhari to visit the states where there have been fresh cases of violence and urgently adress the worsening security challenges in the country.
Ologunagba said it is unacceptable that the APC-led federal government ignored the plight of the victims and families of recent attacks in Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna, and Katsina States and chose to celebrate Yusuf Buhari’s turbaning with so much fanfare.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vehemently condemns the indefensible insensitivity of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party in power, to the escalated killings in Sokoto, Niger, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau states and other parts of the country by terrorists,” the statement reads.
“The manifest numbness of the APC leaders to bloodletting as well as the failure of the APC, as a party, to proffer any tangible solution or forcefully take its government to task on security, validate apprehensions on APC’s reported complicity in the worsened insecurity in our nation in the last six years.
“Is it not unpardonable that while the APC had failed to show empathy on the gruesome murder of scores of travelers who were burnt alive in Sokoto state, the massacre of over 15 worshippers in Niger state, other compatriots felled in Kaduna, Katsina and other parts of the country in the last few days, its leaders and officials in government had the time to attend the turbaning ceremony of President Muhammadu Buhari’s son in the same troubled Katsina state?
Is it also not provocative, vexatious and indeed the height of heartlessness that APC and its leaders party while Nigeria burns?
“Such callous assault on the sensibility of Nigerians which amounts to dancing on the graves of the victims of the attacks further exposes the APC as a party that is completely unfeeling to killings, attaches no value to lives and has no commitment towards the fight against terrorism in our country.
“The PDP, standing in solidarity with Nigerians, calls out the APC to come clean on its alleged connection to killings, the benefit it derives from violence and bloodletting and why it attaches no value to human lives.
“Nigerians can recall that despite demands by the PDP, the APC and its leaders have failed to account for the “political mercenaries” they reportedly imported from neighboring countries as thugs, gangsters and hoodlums to unleash violence on Nigerians during the 2019 elections. The APC has also not explained the continued presence of a self-confessed terrorism apologist in its government.
“The least Nigerians expect of the APC is to forcefully give its government a marching order to develop wholesome strategy to proactively tackle insecurity, including targeting the source of fund to terrorists, many of which were revealed by a foreign government, yet the APC government refused to take action.
“Unfortunately, the APC as a party of selfish and blood thirsty “political bandits” does not have the commitment, readiness or capacity to do so.
“Furthermore, the PDP charges President Muhammadu Buhari to demonstrate leadership and empathy by personally visiting the troubled states in line with his campaign promise to lead the fight against terrorism from the front instead of always pushing his responsibilities to others.
“The PDP again commiserates with victims of the horrific attacks. We also urge Nigerians not to resign to despondency but continue to support one another and remain focused as we scale up our collective efforts to rescue and rebuild our nation from misrule.”
It will be recalled that bandits gruesomely murdered the Katsina State Commissioner of Science and Technology, Dr. Rabe Nasir.
The commissioner was killed last Wednesday in his house located at Fatima Shema Quarters, Katsina.
This was after an earlier barbaric attack on travellers in Sokoto state, where passengers were burnt alive in their vehicle while heading to Kaduna.
While the President’s decision not to visit the scenes has attracted wide condemnation, Buhari opted to dispatch the heads of the nation’s intelligence and security services to Sokoto and Katsina states in response to the recent attacks by bandit terrorists.
This article was originally published on Naija News