Politicians using call for sack of service chiefs ‘to discredit Buhari’

The Coalition for Human Rights Monitoring Groups in Nigeria has described the call for the sack of the nation’s security chiefs as the handiwork of some selfish north-east politicians to discredit the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

The group was reacting to the recent call by some members of the national assembly on Buhari to sack the service chiefs over the state of imsecurity in the nation.

Addressing newsmen at a press conference on Friday, the group said some north-east politicians are not only sponsoring the call for the sack of service chiefs; they also have set up a mechanism that would jeopardize the efforts of the Buhari administration.
Gabriel Agibi, who spoke on behalf of the group, said Nigerians must realize that the call for the sack of service chiefs was not the main issue, but that of a grand plot to see that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is labeled as incompetent and lacking in the capacity to address the spate of insecurity in the country.

Full text of his speech below:

The Coalition for Human Rights Monitoring Groups in Nigeria is aware of a grand plot by some unscrupulous elements within the political ranks in Nigeria to cause disaffection in the polity by orchestrating for the sack of Service Chiefs in the country.

This is indeed a part of an unpatriotic attempt at puncturing the fragile peace experienced in Nigeria and truncating our nascent democratic experiment by those who have fallen out of political relevance that was occasioned by the outcome of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria.

The Coalition of Human Rights Monitoring Groups in Nigeria been a critical stakeholder in the war against terrorism in Nigeria sees this attempt as a assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians, especially the people of North-East Nigeria that have had to endure years of hardship since the Boko Haram terrorist group began its violent campaign against the Nigerian state in 2009.

It is instructive to state that the recent upsurge in the call for the sacking of Service Chiefs (Army, Navy and Air force) is indeed the handiwork of some North East politicians that have vowed to discredit the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for putting the interest of the people at heart and his commitment to the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.

These North East politicians that have been the ultimate beneficiaries of the crisis in the region are angered with the progress made in so far in the war against terrorism because their illicit sources of livelihood have been halted by the counter-insurgency operations of the Nigerian Military.

We have it on competent authority that some North East politicians are not only sponsoring the call for the sack of Service Chiefs; they also have set up a mechanism that would jeopardize the efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.
The Coalition for Human Rights Monitoring Groups in Nigeria, as a stakeholder in the war against terrorism in Nigeria, is aware of some of the despicable actions of these politicians that have emboldened the Boko Haram/ISWAP group to continue to traumatize the people of North-East Nigeria. At the same time, they smile to the bank for whatever it is worth.

Worthy of mention is the case of a high ranking politician of North East extraction that was rejected at the polls as well as his appeal thrown out by the courts, has been distributing monies to members of the National Assembly to cause a distraction by initiating moves to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Coalition for Human Rights Monitoring Groups in Nigeria is aware of the fact that over two billion naira has been so far distributed to members of the National Assembly to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari.

This is indeed not coming as a surprise to the Coalition for Human Rights Monitoring Groups in Nigeria because, in the course of our assessment of the situation in North-East Nigeria over the years, we have been inundated with multiple evidence on the activities of selfish politicians that are acting as fronts for the highly placed politician that has vowed to make the country ungovernable.

This much we have stated in our numerous assessment reports to the relevant authorities as well as members of the general public on the need for steps to be taken to avert a gradual disintegration of the country by the actions of these despicable and wicked politicians that have placed their interest above national interest.

The Coalition for Human Rights Monitoring Groups in Nigeria wishes to state that this is indeed a sad tale and an indication that after all the support the Boko Haram terrorist group have been receiving is from these politicians that have turned the crisis in the region into their business venture that yields dividends when innocent women and children are killed and families displaced.

Nigerians must realize that the call for the sack of Service Chiefs is not the main issue, but that of a grand plot to see that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is labeled as incompetent and lacking in the capacity to address the spate of insecurity in the country.

Nigerians must as a matter of urgency wake up to this harsh reality imposed on us by these group of people that have refused to give peace a chance because of their blind ambition to take over the affairs of the country at all cost so they can resume their despicable act of impoverishing the people which has been their stock in trade before the advent of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
The Coalition for Human Rights Monitoring Groups in Nigeria, as a result of this, wishes to call on the Department of State Security as a matter of urgent national concern to commence a full-scale investigation into this nefarious plot targeted at destabilizing the nation.

This is especially expedient because the crisis in North-East Nigeria is not a failure of governance but a deliberate plot by some politicians that are angry and bitter with the people for rejecting them at the polls.

The urgency of now requires that stringent measures are taken by those concerned if we are indeed interested in the continued existence of the country called Nigeria. The danger of not acting now might give rise to the full implementation of their destabilization agenda.