All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential Campaign Organisation has alerted Nigerians on the move being made by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government to arrest fake Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau who the government will use as a tool to blackmail its Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari by linking him to terrorism as it had attempted before but failed. APC added that the government is working on such fake Shekau to tell the world that Boko Haram has been working for APC in general and General Buhari in particular.
In a statement today, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Garba Shehu wondered where the ‘new Shekau’ will come from after government at several times in the past, announced that they had killed the insurgent leader.
Garba Shehu saw President Goodluck Jonathan’d charge to the military to capture Shekau alive as a dress rehearsal to the plan the government has to implicate General Buhari and make him look as if he is the chieftain of Boko Haram.
“The charge to the military, that they should catch Shekau alive by the President in the last 24 hours lends credence to the report that indeed a fake Shekau is about being created.”
According to Garba Shehu the profile of the leader of Shekau, as leader of the insurgents, of a dedicated ideologue, presupposes that the man is not likely to allow himself to be caught alive.
“It is both contradictory to the ideology he preaches and the psychological profile that the world has of him that Shekau would allow himself to be caught alive.”
The Director of media and and publicity for the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation recalled that the attack on General Buhari months ago, in Kaduna, was seen and believed by most Nigerians to have been carried out by the Boko Haram.
“The police that is constitutionally empowered to investigate and report on such incidents has not contradicted the widespread belief that this was a Boko Haram attack.
“The view of the APC is that it does not make sense for General Muhammadu Buhari to be in league with, or be associated in any way with people who have set out to kill him.”
Garba Shehi said that in the view of this fact, “the government needs to listen to the various counsel from international bodies and lately by our religious leaders that campaign must be about issues and not maligning people.
“Unfounded allegations linking the opposition to insurgency amount to leaving the issues to pursue personal attacks as warned against, barely 24 hours ago by leaders of the Catholic Community in the country, through Arch. Bishop John Onaiyekan.”
The APC presidential campaign said it was no less shocked, as other Nigerians by the President’s admission in a weekend newspaper interview that he has under-estimated the Boko Haram challenge, arguing that any leader in that circumstance should not consider himself fit to seek re-election.
Quoting President Jonathan’s recent confession that he under-estimated Boko Haram, the APC presidential campaign said the admission was a direct evidence that the PDP President has nothing to offer and must bow to the wind of change.
According to the statement, President Jonathan is out of touch with the realities of the lethal challenges posed by global terrorism, including Boko Haram, which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda global terror network.
Garba Shehu said that for any President to under-estimate terrorism it means that he doesn’t take any national challenges seriously, including health, poverty, unemployment, power, education, infrastructure and other issues.
He said that with his admission, President Jonathan has passed a vote of no confidence on himself and his government, adding that APC presidential campaign is not surprised by the self-confessed failure by the PDP President.
Garba Shehu said that with a President admitting his incompetence of a mortal challenge to the security of Nigerians, he has no business seeking re-election or looking for excuses to delay the polls. [myad]
