By Tosin Olatokunbo
Northern leaders, under the auspices of Northern Elders Forum has demanded the resignation, without further delay, of President Muhammadu Buhari over the state of insecurity in the country. This is not the first time the elders have demanded the president to leave office over his failure to rein in terrorism, banditry and other criminality that have led to killings across the country.
The call came as terrorists demanded the release of their top commanders arrested by securith agencies in exchange for passengers kidnapped two weeks ago after the criminals bombed an Abuja/ Kaduna train. The bandits, recently designated as terrorists by the federal government have also stepped up their activities in the north east in the past few days.
The terrorists who have in their custody women, children, students and others kidnapped in the aftermath of the terror attack have also threatened to kill the abductees if their demands were not met.
The NEF spoke on Tuesday in a statement signed by the group’s spokesman Hakeem Baba Ahmed, warning that President Buhari has lost the war against insecurity.
The group said: “The administration of President Buhari does not appear to have answers to the challenges of security to which we are exposed. We cannot continue to live and die under the dictates of killers, kidnappers, rapists and sundry criminal groups that have deprived us of our rights to live in peace and security.
“Our Constitution has provisions for leaders to voluntarily step down if they are challenged by personal reasons or they prove incapable of leading.”
The group said the administration has lost track of security situation in the country, and so, has no reason to remain in office, adding that criminals have capitalised on the vacuum in leadership to unleash mayhem on Nigerians.
The group said it has become apparent that the Buhari administration has no capacity to deliver the country from the current security situation.
According to NEF, “It is now time for President Buhari to seriously consider that option, since his leadership has proved spectacularly incapable of providing security for Nigerians. Our Forum is aware of the weight of this advice, and it is also aware that we cannot continue to live under these conditions until 2023 when President Buhari’s term ends.
“Killers and other criminals appear to have sensed a paralysing vacuum at the highest levels of leadership, and they grow more confident and acquire more competence in subverting the State and our security.
“Nigerians have shed enough tears and blood without appropriate response from those with responsibilities to protect us.”
The group however warned persons making provocative comments ahead the 2023 general election to disintegration from doing so in order not to plunge the country into serious violence.
“There are also groups who deepen the concerns of Nigerians over the possibility of a safe and free campaign and conduct of the 2023 elections. Comments, which threaten that those parochial political demands must be met, rather than negotiated or processed through the democratic process threaten all Nigerians and hint at a wider space for violence in the run-up to the elections, and after it.
“These comments are unbecoming of elders, and they detract from the genuine and difficult search for good leaders who will be totally committed to a nation with very serious challenges.
“Our Forum re-commits to engagements and dialogue with all politicians and groups to seek the lowering of tensions and stresses, which represent threats to our democratic process. The Forum condoles with families who have lost members, and prays with those whose members are kidnapped that they will be re-united without further delay,” the NEF said.
