President Jonathan Is Benefitting From Boko Haram- APC

The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) of benefitting from activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.

A statement signed by the national publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, which was made available to newsmen on Tuesday, The APC stated that the PDP’s handling of Boko Haram insurgents was making the crisis to fester.

According to the APC, the PDP appeared to be abetting and benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency, while mismanaging national resources and encouraging massive corruption.

Alhaji Mohammed also accused the Federal Government of using the fight against insurgency as an excuse to punish and witch-hunt the opposition, trample on civil liberties and abuse national institutions on an unprecedented scale.

The APC said if the PDP-led Federal Government had not misgoverned Nigeria since 1999, the country could have been spared the cankerworm of terrorism, epitomised by Boko Haram.

The party said the international community was apparently unaware that the Federal Government had been the biggest clog in the wheel of efforts to tackle Boko Haram, adding that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration had seen the insurgency as its surest ticket for re-election and international acceptance.

“Far from the baseless and irresponsible accusations and finger-pointing by the PDP and the government it controls at the centre, it is time to tell Nigerians that the only reason the insurgency has continued unabated is because the PDP and the Jonathan-led administration are benefitting massively from it.

“That explains their quick dismissal of our call for an international inquiry to unravel the sponsors and modus operandi of the terror group, while latching on to what remains a mere conjecture on the probe of Boko Haram links by the British Parliament. 

“Pray, which is bigger and more authentic, a probe by the British Parliament or an international inquiry? If the PDP and its cohorts have nothing to hide, they would have embraced that call. We maintain that only an international inquiry can unravel those behind Boko Haram and we thank Nigerians for their favourable response to our call,” the party added.

It also called the attention of Nigerians to the alleged human right abuses going on in the country.

“The United States Congress was told by the Specialist at African Affairs Congressional Research Service, Lauren Blanchard, that the Nigerian government and its military had not been yielding to America’s suggestions that the main impediment to America’s efforts to support Nigeria’s broader response to Boko Haram is gross violation committed by the Nigerian forces,” it added.