The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday accused the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd) of plans to scuttle the February general elections in connivance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Expressing outrage over the statement credited to Dasuki at the London think-tank, Chatham House, calling for the postponement of the elections scheduled for next month, the CNPP asked the NSA to tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians.
The umbrella body for all political parties in the country described Dasuki’s reason as “childish, bare face lie and a dummy meant to deceive the international community, portray Nigeria in bad light and scuttle regime change”.
CNPP challenged Dasuki to tell the world where the 30 million permanent voters cards (PVC) “he bandied is located; for without holding brief for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it is common knowledge that over 60 per cent of the PVCs have been collected nationwide by anxious Nigerians who earnestly yearn for regime change”.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, Osita Okechukwu, said: “CNPP is worried that the NSA has joined some anti-democrats and less than patriotic groups like the Pastor Ayo Oristejafor brand of Christian Association of Nigeria, the Ijaw Youth Council, Federation of Middle Belt People and Ohaneze Youth Council to plant land mines to scuttle our fledgling democracy.
“Dasuki’s statement clearly exposed his gross incompetence on his primary mandate to secure the country; hence the Boko Haram insurgency has escalated since his appointment on 22nd June, 2012.
“The NSA should tell the world what happened to the billions budgeted for defence in the past three years under his watch, since he has turned the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) into procurement agency of the Ministry of Defence.
“Our understanding is that elongation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure automatically elongates that of Dasuki’s less than successful tenure.
“A man who deliberately abandoned the late General Andrew Azazi’s concept, that Boko Haram insurgents are located in the forest and should be fought with Isreali satellite images, drones and modern equipment. Had Dasuki adopted the Azazi concept, it could have been very easy to use satellite images to recapture the Chibok girls few days after their unfortunate abduction.
“Is it not a paradox that an NSA who procures equipment via the black market is condemning those who insist that the Nigerian armed forces are under-equipped and under-funded? Is it not corruption under Dasuki’s watch one of the reasons that made the Americans to stop supplying vital military equipment to Nigeria? We call on Dasuki to apologise to Nigerians for his anti-democratic tenure elongation canvas and for calling our soldiers he under-equipped cowards”.