Icheoku says this is not how to be an opposition party as the APC has instead now turned itself into a resistant party trying to bring down the PDP government by all means possible. How dare the APC governors shun a parley meant to rob minds together about the scourge militating against the entire country or do they have another country to go to should Nigeria implode? A good and rational opposition would have honored the invitation by the president - first, as a respect to the office and secondly, to hear him out; thereafter they can stage a walkout or state their own position on the way forward. But to so blatantly ignore and snob the president over a matter as foundational as the security of the country calls for a punitive measure by the president against the APC governors. These APC governors should remind themselves that those states they are governing are still integral part of Nigeria and under the Nigerian state. They do not therefore have unfettered powers to do as they please with those states' security needs as well as that of Nigeria in general.
Icheoku says ignoring such very important security meeting to help find solution to the Boko Haram scourge is rather politics gone crazy too far and is condemnable. The APC should as consequent thereof, pay a price and it has to be very consequential to deter similar future reoccurrence. May be for a start-dose, the president should withhold their federal revenue allocation until further notice as well as curtail some of their privileges such as international travels and other sundry things as would make them realize their foolhardiness. Icheoku recalls that Baba Iyabo once withheld Lagos State federal revenue allocation over then Governor Tinubu's stubborn refusal not to revert to previous number of local government areas in Lagos State, although Yar'Adua later released same.
Opposition is good once sportsmanly; but when it goes too far as to suggest acute disdain and HATRED for the incumbent, then something is wrong and such should be condemned by all men and women of good judgment. There is watershed in politics and governing BUT unfortunately everything PDP as far as APC is concerned, is political. The meeting was not about Jonathan or the PDP but about a very urgent matter affecting the wellbeing of all Nigerians including those with membership of the APC, some of whom probably have fallen victim of the Boko Haram madness since it started. APC, Icheoku says, this is yet another ugly stain on your reputation as a party of rabble-rousers with no interest of Nigerians at heart; and this new tag was otherwise avoidable. Further it does not matter what their motive or protest-reason was; the fact of the matter is that they refused to honor an invitation to discuss ways to shore up the security needs of Nigerians and this by itself alone is sufficient to vitiate whatever grievances they might have that led to the boycott and therefore completely renders their boycott inexcusable. What a pity, what a black-eye; and it is indeed very regrettable the APC's decision not to attend such all important emergency meeting called for the security needs of all Nigerians.
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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REJOINDER: Icheoku had written condemning the absence of APC governors in the security meeting before knowing the real reason. For this our apologies. Find hereunder the official reason why APC governors did not attend the meeting.-
ReplyDeleteJonathan shifts security meeting
Posted by: Augustine Ehikioya,
President Goodluck Jonathan rescheduled yesterday another meeting with governors over rising insecurity.
The meeting will take place next Wednesday.
The Presidency on Wednesday, through a statement by presidential spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati, invited governors and the National Security Council for a meeting yesterday to discuss insecurity.
Although it was thought that all the governors were to attend, only the PDP governors turned up at the First Lady’s Conference Room, State House venue.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the two hours meeting, PDP Governors Forum Chairman and Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio said only PDP governors were invited for yesterday’s meeting.
All the governors will be invited for the rescheduled meeting, he said.
A statement by the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, explained the absence of APC governors.
The party said the governors of APC-controlled states were given the impression that the meeting had been called off, hence they did not attend.
‘’On Wednesday, the Presidency called the Chief Detail of the Kwara State Government to say that the meeting had been called off. On the basis of this information, which apparently got to other governors under the aegis of the APC, our governors did not attend.
‘’Now that the meeting has been held, it is incumbent on the Presidency to launch an investigation into the source of the call to the Kwara State Government and what the call was meant to achieve.
‘’Irrespective of the totally unfounded and absolutely irresponsible allegation that the APC is behind the escalating security situation, our party will not shy away from any serious effort to end the terrorist attacks in our country. Therefore, it is not true that our governors shunned the meeting with the President,’’ the APC said.