The Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday called on the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari to end his silence and personally address the nation without any further delay, on the command crisis rocking the Presidency, in which, according to it, strange elements have been exposed as having taken over critical issues of governance, including security matters.
The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.), had in a letter addressed to the service chiefs which was published by an online medium, blamed Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, for the failures in the war against insurgency.
Monguno said Kyari was fond of giving orders to the service chiefs without the knowledge of Buhari.
The letter was dated December 9, 2019, and titled, ‘Disruption of the national security framework by unwarranted meddlesomeness.’
He said, “Such acts and continuous meddlesomeness by the Chief of Staff have not only ruptured our security and defence efforts but have slowed down any meaningful gain that Mr President has sought to achieve.”
But the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said Nigerians have become apprehensive that the Presidency had remained mute in the face of Manguno’s revelations that presidential responsibilities, including presiding over very sensitive security matters, have been taken over by Kyari, who, Ologbondiyan said now functions as a defacto President.
Ologbondiyan said, “In his petition, Gen. Monguno raised salient issues concerning the state of security as well as internal factors in the presidency frustrating the fight against insurgency and acts of violence ravaging our country.
The party invites Nigerians to note that any President, who is on top of issues of governance, and who has not relinquished his duties, would have immediately addressed the nation on such an issue of urgent national importance.
“The PDP laments that Buhari’s taciturn posturing in the face of a command crisis is worsening our already perilous security situation and further validates global apprehensions that Mr. President has become overwhelmed by the demands of his office and completely abdicated his duties to a cabal.
“It is indeed distressing to the nation that the situation threatens our national stability and could heightens anxieties in the security hierarchy regarding whose orders to obey.
The PDP insists that Mr. President holds it as a duty to Nigerians to personally speak to the situation immediately as our nation is undergoing an insecurity situation that is unknown to our national history.
The PDP, as a party, that has the interest of our nation at heart, has the responsibility to invite Mr. President to address Nigerians on this matter.
Our party therefore counsels the Buhari Presidency not to attempt to use the decoy of silence to sweep such issue of grave national concern under the carpet, as such could compound the security situation in the country.”
