• PDP Chairman, Northern Governors Urge Boko Haram to Accept Amnesty
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Muazu, friday joined in asking the Islamic sect, Boko Haram to accept the offer of amnesty granted to repentant members of the sect.
Also Northern governors have asked members of the sect to embrace the amnesty offered to them by President Goodluck Jonathan on Democracy Day. The chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, made the plea on behalf of his colleagues friday.
In its Democracy Day message, President Goodluck Jonathan offered amnesty to the Boko Haram sect that is willing to drop their arms and embrace peace.
He also appealed to all, to join hands with the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to turn around the country and build a nation “of our dream as there is no alternative to democracy.”
According to Muazu in a statement by his media aide, Akin Oyegoke, members of the Boko-Haram Sect should embrace the amnesty extended to them by the federal government, drop their arms and join hands with all Nigerians and President Goodluck Jonathan, to continue to build the Nigeria.
Muazu in the statement refuted the claims by the Borno State Secretary to Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jedda, that the national chairman of PDP was a pathological liar, stating that what was need at this time in the abduction of the Chibok girls, irrespective of party affiliations, was to close ranks so as to curtail the activities of the Boko Haram Sect.
The statement said, “Adamu Muazu is definitely not a Pathological liar as referred to by Baba Ahmed; rather, he is a man highly revered by his people, a man of integrity, a refined politician and a gentleman”, explaining further, what is of concern to the national chairman of PDP is the development of the country and to win the fight against terror in Nigeria, than to join issues with Secretary to the State Government of Borno State, Ambassador Baba Ahmed.
According to the statement, Muazu said, “In an interview posted in one of the online portals, Sahara Reporters on Thursday 29th May 2014 in which Ambassador Baba Ahmed denied the letter of advice from the Federal Ministry of Education advising the Government of Borno State and other states in the region because of security situation not to conduct WAEC or NECO Examination outside of Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital, is a clear acceptance of the lopsided approach by the Government in Borno State to fight insurgency in the area.
“The National Chairman of the PDP ordinarily will not like to join issues with any Nigerian especially not with Ambassador Baba Ahmed but as an elder statesman and a stakeholder in this administration, we wish to state again that for us to win the fight against terror in Nigeria, we must all close ranks irrespective of party affiliations and heed to all popular advice from any agency of government to curtail the activities of the Boko Haram Sect.
“We owe our people the collective duty to protect and provide for them and we wish to once again advice the Government and stakeholders in Borno State and indeed all Nigerians to cooperate with government at all levels to stop this spate of violence,” he said.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr Israel Ebije, the governor said Jonathan’s amnesty offer was “a welcome idea”. Aliyu said that the Northern states’ governors were ready to cooperate and support the federal government to address the grievances of the insurgents in order to ensure their successful re-integration into the larger society.The governors described the amnesty offer as “laudable” because it would help restore peace and harmony in troubled areas of the country.
They appealed to the sect members to lay down their arms, saying that peace and stability was essential to the region’s development and growth. Insecurity has increased fear, encouraged suspicion and put national development in reverse gear, they lamented. In his presidential broadcast on Thursday, Jonathan promised to pursue all options to bring the insurgency to an end, but also said there would be full-scale military action for those who refuse to embrace dialogue.
Source: Thisday
