A public policy think tank, the Neo Africana Centre, has reacted to the attack on the convoy of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, after a successful rally in Katsina on Monday.
In a statement by its Director of Public Affairs, Jenkins Udu, entitled: “Mr President Must Arrest This Slide,” the body said it received with rude shock the barbaric and indecorous act that took place in Katsina and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take more than a cursory interest in the ugly incident. It wondered why a free Nigerian campaigning for the people’s votes should face intimidation and harassment by agents of disunity and destabilisation.
The Labour Party’s campaign train arrived Katsina State on Monday where Obi first held a town hall meeting with women and followed it up with a rally at Muhammad Dikko Stadium. However, on his way to the airport, hoodlums were said to have attacked his convoy, causing substantial damage to some of the vehicles.
The body said it finds the development not just regrettable but revolting, considering the factthat a presidential candidate of Obi’s profile was involved. It said the embarrassment and what it portends for the country are too telling to be swept under the carpet. It, therefore, called on President Buhari who hails from Katsina in particular and the government and people of the state in general to take steps to avert the looming catastrophe in the air and save their state and Nigeria from further ridicule as a land of bad and the ugly.
“We are perturbed that the presidential campaigns that have largely been hitch-free have suddenly turned berserk. This ugly trend must be nipped in the bud. But then, we note with regret that Governor Aminu Bello Masari under whose watch this breach took place seems not to have batted an eyelid. Masari has not expressed regret or disappointment over the incident. His silence leaves much to be desired. Public office holders must understand that they hold public office in trust. They should, therefore, avoid acts that could erode the people’s confidence in their actions and inactions.
“Masari, by his silence, has failed to live up to expectation. When brigandage such as the one that took place in Katsina is pampered, it protrudes into a monster of immense proportions. Masari is invited to take note of this.”
In the face of the seemingly conspiracy that may have led to the attack, the body is calling on President Buhari to step up action in the fight against insecurity. It regretted that political thugs and ethnocentric brigands are having a field day when they should be running away from the long arms of the law. The group said it was convinced that the incident was aimed at embarrassing Obi and possibly weakening his resolve to give the people a new Nigeria that will work for all.
The body called on President Buhari to ensure Nigerians of whatever persuasion are protected under the law. It urged the Labour Party and its candidate to remain focused in their quest for a new Nigeria and refuse to be distracted by nation-wreckers who want to create the impression that the country is headed for the rocks. It equally urged politicians and their supporters to call their supporters to order, especially now that the elections are drawing closer.