 |
| President Goodluck Jonathan |
by Niyi Odebode, Olalekan Adetayo and
Damilola Owoyele
President
Goodluck Jonathan’s scheduled visit to Lagos today has sparked a war of words
between the Action Congress of Nigeria and the Presidency.
Jonathan
is expected to arrive in Lagos on Thursday (today) en route to Ibafo in Ogun
State where he will inaugurate WEMPCO’s Cold Roll Steel Plant.
But
the ACN said on Wednesday that the visit was primarily aimed at scuttling its
national convention today at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos. The Presidency however
described the allegation as baseless and another in the series of “wolf crying”
that has become the ACN trait.
The
party, in a letter to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN),
said Jonathan’s visit might lead to the closure of roads in the city, thus
preventing its supporters across the country from coming for the convention.
In
the letter by its National Publicity Secretary and member of its national
convention planning committee, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN said the convention
was meant to afford its members the opportunity to discuss the merger plan by
opposition parties.
It
said it feared that inability of its members to access the venue of the
convention could lead to “a breach of the peace, the consequences of which no
one will be able to fathom.”
The
party therefore urged Fashola to advise Jonathan to either reschedule his visit
or use a mode of intra-city transport, like a helicopter if he must go ahead
with the visit.
The
ACN letter reads, “We are concerned that based on precedent, the visit of the
President may lead to the closures of key arterial roads in the city, which
could prevent thousands of our supporters coming to Lagos from all parts of the
federation from making it to the venue of the convention.
“In
particular, the timing of the President’s visit and the attendant disruption of
traffic in Lagos may be seen as a continuation of perceived attempts by the
Peoples Democratic Party -led Federal Government to frustrate the merger of our
party with other progressive parties, which is a key item on the agenda of our
national convention on Thursday.
“We
are, therefore, appealing to your Excellency (Fashola) to use your good offices
to advise the President to either reschedule his visit or use a mode of
intra-city transportation, like a helicopter, that will not engender closure of
roads on a very busy day in the city.”
The
party said that the President would not want to subject Nigerians to “avoidable
suffering just because of a visit that can either be rescheduled or carried out
in an unobstructive manner on a gridlock-prone city.”
But
the Presidency faulted the ACN claim, saying that Jonathan’s visit which was
scheduled long ago would have no effect on the ACN convention.
Special
Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said a
courteous check from the appropriate Presidency officials would have revealed
to the ACN that the President was not visiting Lagos.
Abati
explained in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, that his boss
would only touch down at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in
Ikeja, transit to Ibafo by a chopper and return to the airport the same way for
his flight back to Abuja.
He
said, “We find it hard to believe that any patriotic and right-thinking
Nigerian would have written the kind of publicly circulated letter reportedly
sent to the governor of Lagos State by Alhaji Mohammed in which he attempts to
dictate President Jonathan’s itinerary, mode of transportation within Lagos,
and motive, and even suggests that the President’s visit could have been
designed to frustrate a planned ACN convention and merger with some other
political parties.
“The
allegation is not only baseless, but another in the series of ‘wolf crying’
that has become the sole strategy and pre-occupation of the ACN. It is clearly
a deliberate, further attempt to undermine, ridicule and debase the office of
the President.
“It
is certain that Governor Fashola was already aware of President Jonathan’s
itinerary in Lagos tomorrow (today) since in keeping with protocol, the
Presidency always briefs state governments well ahead of time on all
Presidential movements to their states. Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s letter was
therefore pointless and serves no purpose other than distasteful muck-raking.
“Furthermore,
the Presidency completely rejects the insinuation in the deliberately leaked
letter that the President’s visits to Lagos are always disruptive. The paranoia
displayed by the ACN in its plea to Governor Fashola concerning an imaginary
plan to scuttle a political merger is beneath the politics of inclusiveness this
administration has encouraged in its interaction with the state, as with all
other states.
“We
have no doubts whatsoever therefore that Governor Fashola will prove to be much
wiser and more mature than the ACN spokesman, and consign his letter to the dustbin.”
Also,
the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin
Okupe, carpeted Muhammed, saying he did not have the least understanding of the
workings of government.
“I
find it difficult to explain how Alhaji Mohammed expects Gov. Fashola to
control or obstruct the movement of the President and the Commander-in-Chief of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The
insult contained in his letter to Gov. Fashola is a product of a confused
politician.
“We
know for a fact that Gov. Fashola is of a different and higher breed with
proper upbringing. Nigerians must now know Alhaji Mohammed for what he truly
is—a scare-monger.”
Source:
Punch
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