Chinelo Obogo
The Coalition of Friends and Supporters of Buhari (CFSB) have described the Senate’s call for the resignation of the service chiefs as a display of disloyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, the group’s president, Musa A Musa said the lawmakers’ action is a disservice to Nigerians given the commitment of the service chiefs to the fight against terror.
The group accused the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, of ‘playing politics at the expense of national interest.’
It further stated that ‘tremendous progress has been recorded through innovations and strategies introduced by service chiefs in tackling security threats in the country.’
While expressing support for the president’s decision to retain the security leadership, the coalition said the Senate should put the country first before personal interests.
‘The Coalition of Friends and Supporters of Buhari, a support group of associates and friends of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari convoked this press conference out of a passionate desire to ensure that all forms of distractions for the current efforts of the present administration towards addressing the security threats in the country are nipped in the bud.
‘The recent call by the Senate for the resignation of the service chiefs in the country is a great disservice to the generality of Nigerians given their enormous commitment and dedication to service.
‘We wish to state that this is not the time to play to the gallery in this critical point of our existence given the myriads of politically motivated security challenges confronting the country.
‘It suffices to state that the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended is very explicit in the powers conferred on the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces with regards to the hiring and firing of service chiefs in the country.
‘It is our considered opinion that the leadership of the Senate went outside their purview in calling for the resignation of the service chiefs, which by all intent and purposes is an affront to the office of the President.
‘While it is not out of place to aspire as a politician, it is most despicable that caution would be thrown in the winds in a bid to paint a false picture of incapacity of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to act in the best interest of the country.
‘That the Senate President, though a high ranking member of the All Progressive Party (APC) would elect to be disingenuous, constitutes an embarrassment to the leadership of a party with which he actualised his ambition of becoming the Senate President.
‘The call for the resignation of the service chiefs is nothing but a display of disloyalty and utter disrespect for President Buhari.
‘That the service chiefs in Nigeria have demonstrated capacity is an understatement given the realisation of where we were before the beginning of the administration and where we are now in the fight against terrorism and other militant groups in the country.
‘There is no doubt whatsoever that tremendous progress has been made and great success recorded. We, therefore, support the decision of President Buhari to retain the present crop of Smservice chiefs for their efforts in curtailing the threats posed by Boko Haram and other militant groups in the country.
‘They have demonstrated capacity and have never rested on their oars despite the numerous achievements, which is an indication of their unalloyed loyalty to the country.
‘We consequently wish to advise the Senate President not to be blinded by his political ambitions and realize that no amount of distractions can deter President Buhari in the fulfilment of his plans for the development of Nigeria,’ the group said.