Jonathan under pressure to extend emergency rule in Adamawa, others - APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) at the weekend alleged that some forces are bent on stampeding President Goodluck Jonathan to extend the ongoing emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
Interim national publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, warned that the consequences of such action might not be in the interest of those asking the president to extend the rule and the country in general.
He claimed that the forces behind the call for extension of the emergency rule were also pressurizing the president to sack governors of those states; all of whom are APC members.
The three states have been under emergency rule for the past 11 months. The emergency was precipitated by the raging insurgency and terrorismrelated activities in the states.
Prominent stakeholders in the region have also kicked against extending the emergency rule which in their views has not suppressed the insurgency.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the state APC congress, the party’s spokesman noted that the president could not unilaterally extend the emergency rule without the support of two-third members of the National Assembly.
He said: “The president cannot declare the emergency without securing two-third majority of members of the National Assembly and there are certain issues that are to be considered by the National Assembly before they would grant the extension. But you see, what is actually worrisome is the call by some people to the effect that the democratic structures in those states be dismantled and the governors should be sacked. And we begin to ask ourselves; when and how does the governor become an impediment to fighting insurgency?”.
“On the contrary, you cannot fight any insurgency without democratic structures being in place. So I hope those who are trying to stampede the president into sacking those governors will have a rethink because the consequences would not be in the interest of either the people they want to protect or the country,” he said.
On the memo written by Nyako accusing Jonathan of carrying out genocide against the north which was condemned last week by the national security council meeting convened by the president, Mohammed said though it was not a party issue, the allegations in the memo should be investigated.
“I think all these issues about condemnation or no condemnation; let’s look at the message, what is Nyako saying?”