The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated President Muhammadu Buhari for cancelling his planned visit to Zamfara State besieged by bandits.
The main opposition party rejected the reason of poor weather given for the cancellation of the Thursday trip, saying that if President Buhari meant well, he could have made the journey by road from Sokoto to Gusau.
This is contained in a statement issued by Hon. Debo Ologunagba, its National Publicity Secretary.
It said: “We ask, did Mr President cancel the trip to Zamfara State out of fear of terrorists? Was Mr President, an Army General, with all the security apparatus under his command afraid to travel by road because he was not sure of his security as well as the dilapidated state of our roads under his watch?
“From Sokoto to Gusau, the Zamfara State capital is about 206 kilometres, a journey a leader who has the interest of the people at heart and who is sure of his security could have undertaken by road.
“President Buhari ought to have reassured Nigerians by travelling to Gusau, instead he opted for a video broadcast in which he promised the troubled people of the state that he looks “forward to a more weather-friendly period when I will visit.”
“This is another sad demonstration of the President leading from behind against his own promise and commitment to Nigerians to lead from the front in the fight against terrorism.”
The PDP observed that the cancelled trip is a further demonstration of the ineptitude of the administration, which it said had always engaged in a blame game.
The party added: “Such attitude to governance speaks volumes as to why our nation is in a shambolic state under the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration which is largely laidback, unconcerned and corrupt.
“If truly the people matter to Mr President and his Party, the APC; if truly President Buhari and the APC believe in Nigerians and feel their pains; if truly they are very concerned about the wellbeing of the people, then Mr President would have taken it upon himself, with all the apparatus of power at his disposal, to visit and empathize with the people of Zamfara State who are daily traumatized by terrorists.
“Our Party is not particularly surprised because this is a Party and President which is always absent in critical areas of our national life. Such absenteeism from responsibility is the hallmark of the APC. Even when prodded to visit such areas, President Buhari will always dwell on excuses, blame game and buck-passing.
“Nigerians have not forgotten the sad episode of the Agatu Massacre in Benue State wherein President Buhari, on March 12, 2018, told a bewildered nation that he was not aware that the Inspector General of Police was not in the area as directed by him.
“In Mr President’s words, ‘I’m not aware that the I.G did not spend 24 hours in the state as directed by me, I am getting to know in this meeting.’ Such was a miserable demonstration of abdication of leadership.
“Indeed, such resort to leadership by proxy is inexcusable and completely unacceptable. Our nation needs a leadership that is active, people-oriented, humane, functional and result-driven; a task which the APC as a party of propaganda, deceit and lies cannot deliver on.”
The PDP expressed sympathy with the people of Zamfara state for “being made to waste their meagre resources to organize for a Presidential visit only to get an embarrassing and uninspiring video broadcast.”
It called on Nigerians not to despair but remain resolute in rallying on the platform of the PDP “to rescue and rebuild the nation from the stranglehold of misrule.”
The PDP urged citizens to keep hope alive “as help is on the way from the PDP, come 2023.
