Herdsmen killings: Buhari reacts to vote of no confidence on him by Northern elders, others

The President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has reacted to the vote of no confidence passed on his administration by the Northern Elders’ Forum, NEF, and other socio-political organizations in the country.

The coalition of Northern Elders’ Forum, NEF, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Pan Niger Delta Forum had during the week, passed a vote of no-confidence on Buhari, over what they described as the President’s inability to find a lasting solution to the country’s problems. See our news story "Afenifere, Ohanaeze, NEF, others express concern over state of nation" published on July 19, 2018

Reacting through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, the President described the leaders as selfish.

According to him, the communique was “shedding of crocodile tears by selfish leaders.”

According to Buhari’s spokesperson, the leaders felt alienated after a transparent and accountable system, “halted their disproportionate survival on resources of the state.”

He called on Nigerians to ignore what he described as the unholy alliance by the groups

The statement added that the groups were only stepping up their assault on the All Progressives Congress administration as it expands its national dominance and moves closer to securing an outright victory in the elections next year

He said, “The Presidency notes with dismay that the refrain about President Buhari not doing anything about security in the country had turned into the number one fake news item being peddled in the media.

“The Presidency refers all the purveyors of falsehood to a State House press release published a few days ago and signed by the Special Adviser to President, Femi Adesina, which clearly outlined the government’s major achievements and initiatives in tackling security challenges from January to July, 2018.

“The press release which was titled: ‘Combating Insecurity in the Country: Lest We Forget – Presidency’ listed out ongoing security operations: (1) Nigerian Army’s Exercise Ayem Akpatuma covering Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger States launched in February to tackle cases of kidnappings, herdsmen/farmers’ clashes, among others; (2) Nigerian Air Force establishment of three new Quick Response Wings (QRW) in Taraba, Nasarawa and Benue States respectively, and deployment of Special Forces personnel.

“The press release also noted President Buhari’s approval for the establishment of a new Battalion of the Nigerian Army, as well as a new Police Area Command, in Birnin Gwari Local Council in Kaduna State, as part of measures to scale up security in response to the banditry affecting the area.

“We advise Nigerians to read Adesina’s statement if they haven’t yet, or re-read it for a better understanding of the efforts to ensure peace in the country.”