For allowing the famous abduction of the Chibok Girls to happen under his watch, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has warned Nigerians that Kashim Shettima cannot handle the nation’s security.
Shittima had said last week at the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA conference that he will handle security as Vice president if his party wins the election in 2023.
According to him, his principal and APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu will only focus on the economy.
“I have been in the theatre of conflicts for 18 years, I will lead the troops, my principal is an economy wizard who has transformed Lagos into the third largest economy in Africa. He will concentrate on the economy.
“By God’s grace, I will handle the security, and not only handle the security, I will lead the troops to battle across the length and breadth of this country,” he said.
Shettima, a former governor of Borno state was in office when 276 girls were seized from their school dormitory in the middle of the night on 14 April 2014.
The incident happened ahead of the 2015 presidential election and not a few Nigerians believe that the state government did not handle the abduction with the promptness it deserves, particularly after it failed to inform the PDP-led federal government about the incident on time.
Others also insist that the abduction was a conspiracy to oust former President Goodluck Jonathan from power because the incident took place in the middle of his re-election campaigns.
The PDP said going by his antecedent in handling the Chibok girls’ abduction the former governor cannot be trusted to handle the nation’s security.
According to Ehilebo, “How come you come to the NBA programme and announce on live TV that you will take care of security and your principal will handle the economy?
“Section 130 (2) of the 1999 Constitution specifies that it is the role of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. And if he decides to delegate the power, it must be to the armed forces. But here we have a VP candidate telling the world he wants to be in charge of our security.
“This is the same man in charge when the issue of Chibok Girls happened. Shettima ignored the directive to move the students and the terrorists took advantage.
“It is also a fact that a suspected terrorist, Kabiru Sokoto, was arrested in the Governor’s Lodge by the DSS. Today, we have not been able to dissociate him from all that.
“Unfortunately, Nigerians are more interested in his sneakers and what he wore to the NBA than his statement.”
