Jonathan Is Not The First Minority to Rule Nigeria, But He Is The Most Incompetent

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has told
PDP that President Goodluck Jonathan is not
the first minority to rule Nigeria and will not be
the last, hence the frequent resort to his
minority ethnicity is nothing but a poorly-veiled
attempt to cover up his blatant incompetence,
poor leadership and sheer cluelessness.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its Interim
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, the party said that the PDP's claim
that the Boko Haram insurgency and other
internecine crises in the country were being
sponsored by the opposition because the
President hails from a minority group is totally
irresponsible and absolutely not grounded in
fact.
It said First Republic Prime Minister Tafawa
Balewa (Sayewa) and heads of state Yakubu
Gowon (Angas) and Sani Abacha (Kanuri) are
also from minority ethnic groups, a fact that is
lost on the trifling PDP.
"The PDP has recently been making
outlandish statements and accusations
that are capable of destabilizing Nigeria. In
its new found proclivity for issuing frivolous
press statements, the party has forgotten
that facts are sacred and cannot be
manipulated . But even by its low standard,
the PDP has plumbed the depth of
irresponsibility with its latest claim.
" President Jonathan's woes have nothing
to do with his minority ethnicity, but the
manifestation of his incompetence,
cluelessness and inferiority complex , and
the fact that he is backed by a greedy,
visionless and crooked cabal, both within
his government and his party."
The party said if indeed the PDP believes the
opposition is sponsoring Boko Haram to stop
President Jonathan from realizing his so-called
Transformation Agenda, what prevents the PDP-
led Federal Government from instituting a probe
into all the incidences so far, and to unravel the
sources of the sect's weapons, as demanded
recently by Governor Murtala Nyako?
APC said just like ethno-religious crises in
Nigeria predate President Jonathan's
assumption of office, the Boko Haram insurgency
started in 2002 during the Obasanjo regime, even
though it became aggravated in 2009 when then
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua ordered a joint
security operation, following the killing of over a
dozen policemen, and the failure of police action
to curb the crisis.
The party said it is public knowledge that the
operation led to the killing of an estimated 1,000
alleged Boko Haram members, including the
extra-judicial murder of sect leader Muhammed
Yusuf, and set the stage for the insurgency that
Nigeria is witnessing today.
"Even then, the insurgency that could have been
quickly curtailed has worsened under President
Jonathan because of his ineffectual leadership.
Instead of tackling the insurgency decisively as a
well-honed leader would have done, the clueless
President and his equally feckless party have
resorted to blaming the opposition and everyone
but themselves for the worsening of the crisis,"
it said.
APC said the usual recourse to President
Jonathan's ethnic origin to cover his glaring
non-performance does not impress Nigerians,
who are aware that as a minority, Jonathan
could not have become President without the
votes of the country's majority ethnic groups-
Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba
"In any case, if the PDP is arguing that President
Jonathan is being 'persecuted' because he hails
from a minority ethnic group, is it the majority
ethnic groups that supposedly voted massively
for him that are now persecuting him? And what
will be their reasons for persecuting the same
man they voted into office?
"The truth is that President Jonathan is
overwhelmed by the demands of his office, and
his party is more interested in looting the public
treasury than assisting him to succeed,'' the
party said. ''The President and his party should
admit their failure to meet the yearnings and
aspirations of Nigeria and give way to those
who are willing and able to perform."
APC said a country that has no discernible
counter-terrorism strategy that will clearly
identify the multiple means for preventing,
responding and defeating terrorist groups,
including the alignment of political, military,
social and economic instruments and objectives,
cannot expect to successfully battle any
insurgency.