A former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, has condoled with the government and people of Kano State, over Friday’s bomb attack that resulted in the death of more than 100 people.
Mr. Nyako, who spoke through a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ahmed Sajoh, urged Nigerians to unite and realize that terror knows no ethnic and religious differences.
He commended the All Progressives Congress, APC, for postponing the scheduled primary by one day as a mark of respect for the departed.
Mr. Nyako said every responsive and responsible leadership in the country should show sufficient sensitivity to the loss of lives and destruction of property occasioned by the insurgency.
While calling on the people to be vigilant at all times, he also called on governments at all levels to out ways of supporting a community-based internal security arrangement that will help in protecting the people.
“The recent success recorded by local hunters, vigilantes and volunteers testify to the need for community vigilance and support in the fight against insurgency and terrorism,” Mr. Nyako said.
He expressed support for the call by some leaders that Nigerians should defend themselves against terrorists.
Mr. Nyako also called on the APC leadership and the delegates to ensure that they conduct peaceful, credible and transparent party primaries, reminding them that they left their former parties in protest of impunity and lack of transparency.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has denied links with the All Progressives Congress, APC.
In a statement Wednesday, MEND’s spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, reacted angrily to a statement by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, questioning the group’s tie with the APC.
The group said it has never been approached by APC for anything, and described the PDP’s query as “callous and irresponsible,” saying it further confirmed that President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling party are inept.
“MEND strongly denies any links with the All Progressive Congress and has never been approached for anything, at any point in time, by the party, as pettily alleged by Olisa Metuh,” Mr. Gbomo stated.
“The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta stands strongly by our endorsement and full support of General Muhammadu Buhari as the man to lead the country out of its present calamitous state in the hands of Goodluck Jonathan.”
The group also attacked the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, for describing its members as “ghosts” and drew the attention of the IYC spokesperson, Eric Omare, to an earlier statement he issued lauding MEND for declaring a ceasefire.
While branding IYC as a tribal assembly of political praise singers, it noted that the decision of the militant group to support Mr. Buhari has shocked the Ijaw youth body.
MEND, therefore, asked the IYC spokesperson to explain if he was referring to “ghosts” in a statement he published six months ago in major news media lauding MEND for observing a ceasefire.
“The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta once more, urges Nigerians to ignore the empty threats of this so-called “ex-agitators” and the Ijaw Youth Council.
“Their reckless utterances only ridicule and confirm the colossal failure of the Amnesty Programme,” the militant group said.
MEND also urged the IYC to show Nigerians what President Jonathan has done for the Niger Delta people apart from paying monthly stipends to ex-militants of Ijaw extraction.
“If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time,” MEND quoted Abraham Lincoln.
The militant group had on Tuesday thrown its weight behind the presidential candidate of the APC, Muhammadu Buhari, while also launching a scorching attack on President Jonathan.
In a three-page statement signed by its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, MEND said it endorsed and fully support Mr. Buhari, after careful consideration of the state of the nation.
Reacting to the development, the PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, asked the APC to come out clean and explain to Nigerians, their connections with MEND.
In a statement on Wednesday, the PDP said while the onus lies on the APC to choose those to work with in their quest for power, “the explanation has become necessary following the unsavory public reactions and concerns trailing the statement by MEND backing their presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.