PDP Nasarawa rally: Dogara accuses northern leaders of complicity in insecurity

Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara has blamed the festering insecurity in the Northern part of the country and the prevalence of Boko Haram insurgency in Borno on complicity on the part of elders from the region. He accused them of being docile and playing politics with issues of Peace and security, thereby exposing the nation to grave danger of disintegration. Speaking at the Presidential campaign rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held on Thursday at the Lafia Central Square, Dogara bemoaned the pervasiveness of insecurity not only in the Northern part but across the country He said “on the issue of insecurity, all of us know what is happening at Borno, in Abuja, Kaduna, Zamfara and Katisna, even Sokoto now. And even Nasarawa State, Benue and Plateau State. I cannot even mention all, is a general problem in the country. But I only mentioned the state where the situation is so endemic” Knocking the elders for their passive role, he said “the issue is this, when this things was prevalence in 2015 we had Borno Elders, where are Borno Elders now? Where are the leaders of northern Nigeria, where this problem has become endemic? What are they saying? The truth is that if we don’t rise to the challenge sooner than later if things continue this way we are not going to have a country. “Now the sad commentary about the elites in Nigeria is that we have all by our silence become enabler to those who have been unable to tackle this insecurity. And you know what enabler do? “Enablance don’t build a country, they only instigate or worship an individual to a position where they will compare such a person with God and none of us was built to receive worship. Any human being who accepts worship will meet destruction. “That is why we are witnessing destruction in Nigeria, because we have elevated some human beings to the status of God. And we need to rise up as a people to rescue the country from the clutches of insecurity”, he said. He warned that the fledging democracy is being seriously threatened by the un-abating insecurity in the land. “So it is our responsibility to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of insecurity, because without security we cannot even understand the meaning of democracy”, he warned. Dogara said the 2019 election is not about Buhari and not about Atiku, but a referendum about insecurity and hunger in this land. PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar made a commitment involve the youths and women more in his administration if elected come February 16, 2019. He said “to the youth and women of this country, I have committed 40 per cent of my government to the youth, 30 per cent to the women, making total of 70 per cent. This is because I want you to succeed us, if we don’t train you, if we don’t give you the experience you are not going to take over from us, is that not correct? He cautioned the electorates to guard their votes urging them to wait at the policing units until election results were declared. “The APC wants to rig, that is why they have not been campaigning. They want to use our security services; they want to use INEC so that they can rig. This election has been won by PDP, you have won the election, so defend it, protect it, it is your right”, said Atiku. The party chairman, Prince Uche Secondus challenged Nigerians not to vote for Buhari, a presidential candidate that want to campaign by proxy. He said while Atiku is traversing the length and breadth of the country selling the PDP agenda ahead of the February 16 election, Buhari is hiding in the Aso Rock Villa delegating his responsibility of convincing Nigerians why they should vote him and APC to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. According to o Secondus, the PDP believe in selling its candidate and its agenda to the electorate while APC’s cabals locked President Buhari inside the Aso Rock Villa preoccupied with plans on how to rig and subvert the will of the people “It is important that the entire country and those who are watching from home who see the crowd of the people here, they would see that we are talking to the people and canvassing for vote. Now APC is sitting at home and at Villa, they are planning to rig the election. They are not talking to the people “We are here with former vice president Atiku, who you can see, who you can feel, and who you can trust. He is energetic, he is resourceful, he is industrious, he is ready to engage you he is ready to persuade you. “But what of APC candidate, Buhari cannot be seen, they are hiding him in the Villa. We challenged him to come out to talk to the people, to engage the people in hours of debate”. He, therefore warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to collude with the ruling party to rig elections as it potends danger for the country. Secondus warned the INEC and the security agencies “not to rig this election. If they want to rig this election, they are planning for crisis in Nigeria, will you accept any rigged election? “And therefore let them be warned that if they love this country, they should not attempt to rig this election, if they love this country, they should allow free, fair and credible election”. The Director General of the Presidential campaign organisation and President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki harped on the failed promises of the APC administration and the need to vote a new government to be anchored by the PDP in the coming General elections. Chairman PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibril urged the people of Nasarawa State not to allow anybody to use politics of religion in the State. He said “we will vote for Atiku and Dave. I will lead you to vote for Dave as the Nasarawa State governor irrespective of religion and ethnic”. PDP governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, Hon. Davematics Ombugadu whose birthday cake was cut during the rally simply told his people that the only way they can be set free from hunger and poverty is to massively vote Atiku as Nigeria’s next president and vote himself as the next governor of the state. Tunde Opalana, Abuja