My dear friends on Facebook,
I have said it before and I will continue to say and live by the fact that my ambition, and indeed the ambition of anybody, is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. Therefore, I urge all Nigerians to look forward in hope as we fulfill the dreams of our founding fathers to ‘build a nation where peace and Justice reign’.
–President Goodluck Jonathan on his Facebook page, 8th January, 2015.
President Goodluck Jonathan has never failed to tell Nigerians and anyone who cares to listen that he is a man of peace whose political ambition isn’t worth the blood of any Nigerian. The quote above was taken from his Facebook page as he began his latest campaign to get a second term in office. He has been at pains to restate his commitment to peace and a peaceful electioneering campaign.
Hear him once more:
“In my political life, I have never been driven by the love of power. Rather, I have gotten to where I am today by the power of love which is the power that fueled (sic) the unity that saw Nigeria become the largest economy in Africa and defeat the Ebola Virus Disease.”
Reading president Jonathan from the above quotes, one could almost paint a picture of a saintly man, devoid of any evil machinations and plans to exterminate his political opponents.
But are these assertions of Mr. President true?
On the 6th of January, 2015 in Port Harcourt, One person was allegedly killed while many were seriously injured when two groups of armed youths shot at vehicles conveying supporters of the All Progressives Congress from Asari-Toru and Khana Local Government Areas to the inaugural presidential campaign of the APC candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), the main opponent of President Jonathan in the upcoming presidential election. But as I write this, the President of Nigeria and the PDP presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, is yet to comment on the violence nor commiserate with the dead and injured.
Further violence was unleashed on the opposition on Sunday January 11, with an explosion rocking the All Progressives Congress secretariat in Abam Ama, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State. Just as the news of the explosion hit Port Harcourt, another round of violence was recorded in Rumueme, Obio/Akpor LGA where four APC members were machetted by persons believed to be PDP political thugs.
The All Progressives Congress secretariat in Ngor community, in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, was on the 16th of January, bombed by some unknown persons suspected to be PDP political thugs. According to sources and eyewitnesses, the building, which was serving as the APC secretariat went up in flames after it was attacked with dynamites. The attack was said to have created a lot of panic in the area, as residents were seen fleeing the community.
The attack was said to be similar to the one carried out on APC secretariat at Aba-Ama in Okrika Local Government Area of the state at about 3.14am, on January 11 of 2015.
Despite the sickening and fearsome level of political violence being unleashed against the opposition, President Jonathan, in his usual manner, has maintained a deafening silence, pretending to be oblivious of the carnage that is being orchestrated by people suspected to be members of his political party. But he was quick to condemn the opposition when his convoy was pelted with stones by street urchins in some northern states. It must have been embarrassing for him when a governor within his own party, the PDP, informed the world that the urchins were sent by another faction of the same PDP.
With these clarifications, president Jonathan’s position and condemnation of the opposition became untenable, but as usual, he kept mute.
His quiet acceptance and acquiesces to the attack being unleashed on the opposition, most especially in Rivers State by members of his party as led by Mr. Nyesom Wike, a political godson of the First Lady, led to the carnage that sent shock-waves to all in Okrika, the hometown of the wife of the President on Tuesday, 17th of February 2015.
As the APC were peacefully conducting their gubernatorial rally, five bombs went off, creating pandemonium. As people were fleeing from the rally ground, gunmen began shooting sporadically into the crowd, killing one policeman and injuring fifty others including journalists, APC supporters and their members.
It is not a secret that Nyesom Wike, in collaboration with Mrs. Jonathan has been making concerted efforts to frustrate the opposition party, the APC in Rivers state. He has publicly claimed the APC would not be allowed to campaign in Okrika and the events of Tuesday 17th of February should not be taken in isolation.
The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has continually pretended to be oblivious to what has been happening in Rivers State ever since, therefore it has been the practice for Nyesom Wike to create pandemonium in order to make Rivers State ungovernable for the opposition APC. He has sponsored several thuggish actions which the police has condoned and even supported openly especially during the tenure of former police commissioner Mr. Joseph Mbu.
Wike has now taken his bloodlust, thuggery and violence against the opposition to an unprecedented and dangerous level. The actions of the PDP thugs against the APC on 17 February, 2015 was captured on live television and beamed all over the world.
President Jonathan cannot continue to pretend to be a man of peace while looking the other way when his men go on a killing spree against the opposition especially within his own constituency, the South South.
Political violence in any way is an aberration and should not just be condemned but should be punished with all severity. One only hopes that the Nigerian Police will wake up and be alive to its constitutional responsibility of impartially maintaining law and order across the country.
What happened in Rivers State must not be swept under the carpet. There must be deterrents without which we can expect more unnecessary violence since some people can act with impunity and above the law. Remember there was a peace pact signed by all political parties and it would be foolhardy to imagine such pacts remain binding when one party can act with impunity and get away with it.
President Jonathan should start acting as a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not a President of the PDP or a particular ethnic group. Enough with his clannish disposition!
Mr. Jonathan cannot keep waxing lyrical about how his political ambition is not worth the life of any Nigerian while watching innocent Nigerians bombed to death under his watch by irresponsible political thugs hiding under the banner of political godfatherism.
Enough with these litany of deceits, which have served as encouragements to unnecessary bloodletting of innocent Nigerians and wanton destruction of property.
For once, we call on Mr. President to act like the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not the titular head of a banana republic.
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credt: Ekekeee
