One of the major reasons why the general elections were postponed is because of the insecurity in most parts of the North-East geopolitical zone.
Specifically, some local governments in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States were under the control of the Boko Haram insurgents. However, after the last Council of State meeting and given the advice and assurances the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Service Chiefs gave to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega announced a six-week postponement of the polls.
With the collaborative efforts from troops from Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroun, the Nigerian military have in the past few days recorded tremendous success over the insurgents. Towns that were hitherto held by the insurgents which include Baga, Marte, Monguno, Gamboru, Guzamala, Nganzai have all been recaptured by the military, with hundreds of the insurgents killed, their equipment seized or destroyed.
The military operation, which has recorded tremendous success within a very short period of time, should be commended by all well-meaning Nigerians. The import of what is going on in the North-East is that we as a nation will achieve commendable feats if there is unity of purpose.
We are however, worried that the military expedition is being politicised by a section of the political class. Sequel to President Goodluck Jonathan’s mandate to the military top brass to ensure that the arrowhead of the insurgents, Shekau, is arrested alive, the opposition political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is raising issues over the directive.
Accordingly, the party is positing that the military is working on a script of presenting a “fake Shekau” to claim victory over the terror war. More seriously, the APC presidential campaign office is also raising the alarm that the “fake Shekau might become a tool to blackmail members of the opposition by coaching the phantom terror chief to say that he was working for the opposition party candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, in order to link its presidential candidate to terrorism.”
Nigerians are by nature peace-loving. There is no conscionable Nigerian that is happy with the level of human carnage and massive destruction of property that has gone on in most parts of the North-East. The few countries that have overcome insurgency globally did that through unity of purpose that entails great sacrifice.
Insurgency does not know political party lines. We are therefore, at a crossroads at understanding why a political party that is seeking for power should deliberately work against the routing of the insurgents. It signposts desperation. It is anti-State. We do not want to believe that there are persons, group of persons or political organisations or parties under whatever guise that is privy to these dastardly acts on fellow citizens by these insurgents.
We recall that the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari told the party faithful in Maiduguri that he would end insurgency if he is elected the president of Nigeria. This promise does not in any way stop the incumbent president from discharging his constitutional mandate, which includes, but not limited to, guaranteeing the security of every Nigerian citizen and ensuring that no part of the nation’s landmass is ceded.
We are worried that the Nigerian political class often times fail woefully to draw a line between when and how to play politics and when national interest should be protected at all cost. For now, irrespective of the fact that some politicians had boasted that they would make the country ungovernable if Jonathan became the president, it is time we came down from our high horses for the sake of national interest. We should rally round our military High Command so that these insurgents are rooted out of the country once and for all.
The post HOW NOT TO PLAY POLITICS WITH NATIONAL INTEREST appeared first on Nigeria pilot.