We may lose all seats in 2023 over insecurity, APC stalwarts tell Buhari

By OKWE OBI, Abuja

Political stalwarts in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of APC Consolidation Group, (APCG), have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve Service Chiefs of their positions, stressing that their inability to contain the widespread killings, banditary and kidnappings, the party might lose all seats in the 2023 general elections.

APCG’s National Coordinator, Dr Usman Mohammed, in a statement on Sunday, claimed that the crisis had adversely affected food sufficiency and had portrayed him in a bad light before right thinking members of the society.

Mohammed implored the President to hearken to the voice of majority, saying, “We, the entire leadership and members of APC Consolidation Group wish to appeal to our dear President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhamamadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency, sack the current service chiefs without further delay.

“Our position is because we have seen that the president may lose the support of Nigerians over the embarrassing security situation we are facing if he doesn’t act fast enough.

“We are very disturbed over the president’s continued refusal to sack them despite call by most Nigeria’s in the midst of the disturbing insecurity in the land including the home town of our president. No part of Nigeria is safe today.”

He asked: “What is so special about these service chiefs that the president can’t get in other officers?”

He recalled that: “The President and all of us suffer so hard to sell APC to Nigeria’s in the 2015 General Election and our campaign promises were hinged on security anti corruption, economic, and agriculture.

“Today, we in the APC states are the worst hit of the insecurity. Our farmers can’t go to the farm, nomads can rare their cattle anymore. No villages is safe in the entire north and other parts of the country as of today! How can we guarantee food security by next year?

“While we are aware that Mr president gets daily briefing on the security situation in the country, most of those reports they are given him are not true reflection of the situation on ground. Most of the reports you get are staged managed.

He continued: “People are very angry with our government just because of insecurity and we must rise up to speak the truth at this time before it’s too late.

“Already, there is low morale in the military over the continued stay of the service chiefs whose tenures in their various offices have since lapsed.

“Who knows if there are unseen hands out there in the service frustrating the fight against insurgency and insecurity in the country deliberately due to the continued stay of the service chiefs? This is why we appeal to the president to hearken to the call by majority of Nigerians as reflected in the country’s parliament recently that it’s time for him to do the needful.”

He, however, hailed the Security Chiefs for reducing the perennial bombings witnessed before the 2015 general polls, stating that, “we must admit that they have done a lot and need to be commended.

“For they pushed the insurgency to the fringes of the North East, stopped suicide bombing, stopped bombing and brought in several reforms to the Armed Forces of Nigeria, all of these are quite commendable.” (Sunday Sun)