Nigeria's main opposition party has blamed the
government for what it calls playing politics with
Takfiri terrorist group Boko Haram, as it held its
first major election rally.
"The PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) is
sacrificing the lives of our brothers, of our sisters,
of our children for very selfish political ends,"
said the All Progressives Congress (APC) national
chairman, John Oyegun.
Oyegun criticized the country’s military-- West
Africa's largest-- for failing to control Boko
Haram Takfiris, noting that the military’s poor
performance stemmed from the fact that the
three worst-affected states were APC
strongholds.
"They (the PDP) have allowed the … [militants] to
take over substantially controlled APC states," he
said in an election rally in the capital, Abuja.
The PDP has never been out of power in Nigeria
since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999
and is widely expected to win the next election,
which takes place in February next year.
Oyegun added that after "16 wasted years", the
economy experiences a "state of free-fall" and is
still reliant on oil.
Meanwhile, presidential candidate Muhammadu
Buhari, a former military ruler, has denounced
what he described as the ruling party's corrupt
and inept leadership.
Party officials are also fearful of the integrity of
the election result if the violence in the states hit
by Takfiri Boko Haram militants prevents people
from voting.
This comes as the Nigerian Justice Minister
Mohammed Adoke said on Monday that President
Goodluck Jonathan is to ask the country’s
national assembly to extend the state of
emergency in northeastern states of Yobe, Borno
and Adamawa, due to expire this week.
On April 14, Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276
students from their secondary school in the
northeastern town of Chibok in Borno, triggering
worldwide outrage. Reports say 57 of the girls
managed to escape but 219 are still missing.
Boko Haram, whose name means “Western
education is forbidden,” says its goal is to
overthrow the Nigerian government.
It has claimed responsibility for a number of
deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various
parts of Nigeria.
More than 13,000 people have been killed since
the militancy began in 2009.
AB/KA /HRB
No comments: