Sultan, CAN Sue for Peace as Northern Elders Oppose Emergency Rule

Tuesday’s declaration of state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States yesterday created more rumpus in the polity as more groups and individuals reacted to the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to resort to a martial strategy in dealing with the insecurity in the north.

While some, including the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 election, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, backed the proclamation, northerner elders, under the aegis of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), described the presidential decision as a declaration of war against the north.
Sultan, CAN Sue for Peace

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, Thursday appealed to Nigerians to embrace peace no matter their religion and tribe.

He noted that it was in God’s wisdom that He instituted different tribes and religions, noting that mankind, specifically Nigerians, should tolerate one another for peaceful co-existence.

The Sultan, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the crises and disaffections in the world today were not the making of God, adding that “they are a product of man’s inhumanity to man”.

While preaching the message of peace in Abuja, through his representative, the Andoma of Doma at the national consultative meeting on “The Role of Religious Leaders and Traditional Rulers in Building a Culture of Peace, National Unity and Integration,” Abubakar cautioned the citizenry not to hurt their compatriots.

He said since the consequences of religious crisis had not yielded more than destruction, Nigerians should return to the basis that God created mankind equal but man created the colour bar that now bedevils the society.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, agreed with the Sultan’s message of peace, adding that “any group that desires peace is definitely doing the right thing”.

For Nigeria to attain a desirable rebirth, the CAN president said the citizens must do all that is possible to re-establish peace in the country.

“But let me quickly say that if we must build a new Nigeria, if we must build a great Nigeria, then we must all do everything it takes to bring peace,” he said.

Ribadu disagrees with ACN

Former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 presidential election, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Thursday disagreed with his party over the imposition of a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Ribadu told journalists in Abuja during a national consultative forum on the role of religious and traditional rulers in building peace, organised by the Global Peace Foundation (GPF), that Jonathan’s action was an initiative in the right direction.

The ACN had described the declaration of a state of emergency in the northern states as an exercise in futility and urged the National Assembly to reject it.

However, Ribadu said the initiative was good, adding that since the federal government has the responsibility to ensure peace and security in the country, it was free to take any step that would restore law and order in the country.

Northerner elders: This is war against the north

Northern elders Thursday rebuked President Goodluck Jonathan for imposing state of emergency on Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States, describing the action of as an indirect declaration of war against the north.

Former Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and spokesman for the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Prof Ango Abdullahi, said they were disappointed by the sudden change of tactic by Jonathan on how to resolve the crisis in the north.

He was speaking against the backdrop of the consultation the president had with the group during which they presented a roadmap to peace to Jonathan.

“It is very sad for us to see that the president has easily changed direction from dialogue and reconciliation to war in his bid to end the cycle of violence in the north,” Abdullahi said.

Let’s support Jonathan, says Mimiko
Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Thursday urged Nigerians to rally round President Goodluck Jonathan in his bid to end the security challenges in the country.

He called on the people not to listen to those who have chosen to embark on undue politicisation of the current national security challenges.

Mimiko, while receiving members of the governing council of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), led by its chairman and pro-chancellor, Mr. Mahmud Yahaya (SAN), in Akure, said the present security challenges confronting the nation could only be surmounted if Nigerians rallied round the president to tackle it.

“I am of the view that the efforts to bring an end to the security challenges in some states through the recently declared state of emergency should be lauded by all. For me, this is the time to rally round the president and jettison all forms of divisive and non-productive politicking. It is also the time to tell those who are disposed to feasting on the national security challenges that they are alone,” he added.

South-east PDP welcomes emergency rule

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-East zone, Thursday described the declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States as not only timely but popular.

It expressed optimism that the decision would go a long way in checking the rising state of insecurity in the area.

The party’s National Vice Chairman in the zone, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Osita Igbe, commended the president for the action which the party observed would help check the Boko Haram insurgency in the north.

Akobundu also commended the president for consulting all relevant stakeholders before taking the action, adding that his decision to leave democratic structures in the three affected states intact confirmed his legacy as a truly democratic leader who believes in the provision of the constitution and respect for constituted authorities.

He however condemned the position of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which called on the National Assembly to reject the state of emergency and urged the opposition party to desist from seeking cheap popularity from serious national issues.

Oke lauds proclamation of emergency rule

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the last governorship election in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke, Thursday hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for declaring a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Kunle Adebayo, Oke said Jonathan took the best decision any responsible leader should take given the current circumstances.

According to him, the spate of insecurity leading to the mindless murder of security personnel and innocent people by the Islamic militants is a source of worry to all Nigerians.

‘Emergency rule is coming late’

The Bauchi State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has described the declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States as a reactive measure taken by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Although it commended the president for the initiative, it lamented that it was coming at a time when a massive destruction of lives and property had already taken place in most vulnerable northern states.

The state secretary of CAN, Rev. Joshua Ray Mains, in an interview with reporters Thursday in Bauchi, expressed disappointment with the governors of the three states for allowing the insecurity situation to deteriorate to the extent whereby the military is called in.

NANS commends FG
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) President, Mr. Yinka Gbadebo, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for taken a decisive step to halt the carnage and lawlessness that has engulfed some parts of the north by the declaration of a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja Thursday, Gbadebo said the student body supported the action because the declaration of state of emergency in these states was long overdue.