Jonathan playing politics with national security................“IBB, Atiku, others

Dokpesi, victim of political persecution.......Kanti Bello

TAIWO AMODU


The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presidential aspirants of northern extraction yesterday berated President Goodluck Jonathan over last Friday's bomb incident in Abuja. In a joint press statement signed by Senators Kanti Bello and Ben Obi, Dr. Udenta Udenta and Chris Mammah, deputy director general and director generals of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, General Aliyu Gusau, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisations respectively, they condemned the perpetrators of the action but accused President Jonathan of politicizing the unfortunate incident.

The aspirants condemned the arrest and interrogation of the Director General of the IBB Campaign Organisation and Chairman, Daar Communications, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi. They expressed consternation over the curious exoneration of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) that claimed responsibility for the action, by President Jonathan even when MEND has not made a recant.

It is apparent that the present bellicose posture of the government stems from a deep sense of desperation, which has already been given eloquent testimony by the curious exoneration of MEND as the authors of the bomb blasts by President Jonathan. MEND not only issued a widely circulated warning about the bloody act it wanted to unleash but had gone to accept full responsibility for it.

While MEND has not disowned its culpability in the said bloody act, President Jonathan has not only appointed himself the group chief spokesperson but had  gone on to give green light to the security agents to hunt down his perceived political opponents and rope them into the planning and execution of the bomb blasts.

Former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former national security adviser, General Aliyu Gusau and Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki also called for an independent judicial inquiry to unravel the perpetrators of the independence day bomb blasts, against the background of yesterday's startling revelations of the acclaimed MEND leader, Henry Okah.

We also note a more dangerous dimension to the unfolding bomb blasts phenomenon. In an Aljazeera TV interview on Tuesday, October 5, the acclaimed MEND leader, Henry Okah declared that he was contacted by ranking presidential aides to refute the statement that MEND was behind the bomb blasts; that he and MEND should declare that northern political figures were behind the blasts, as a way of damaging their presidential aspiration and making it easy for President Jonathan to win the 2011 presidential election; that President Jonathan's hasty exoneration of MEND from the bomb blasts stemmed from the expectations that he would play along and that when it became obvious that he would not play the script allotted to him, he was subsequently arrested and arraigned on terrorism charges.

Henry Okah's accusations are weighty and sobering and, if true, must require an independent judicial investigation. We thus alert the ECOWAS, the AU to the dangerous political and security situation in Nigeria; a situation that is capable of compromising its national integrity, if not well handled, they jointly noted.

Also addressing a separate press briefing yesterday at the IBB Campaign Organisation office, Senator Kanti Bello dismissed the allegation against the Director General of the organization, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi as unfounded as he told journalists that Dokpesi  was a victim of political persecution.

It is instructive to note that the only offence of Dokpesi was the fact that he rejected his appointment of the President Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation. In rejecting the said appointment, he had informed the world that his belief in the zoning arrangement of the PDP in which the presidency is zoned to the North for 2007 to 2015 would present to him a moral burden.

As one of the key elements that secured the seat for President Jonathan when he was in acting capacity, he had extracted a commitment from the northern stakeholders that President Jonathan would not seek election in 2011. Beyond this, we cannot possibly hazard any guess why he is being subjected to all manners of intimidation, threat, repression, mudslinging and campaign of calumny.

Stretching his allegation of intimidation further, Senator Kanti Bello alleged that the State Security Services (SSS) operatives asked Dr. Dokpesi questions like the actual amount he had received so far from former military president and PDP presidential aspirant, Ibrahim Babangida and the update on the consensus candidate being canvassed by the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF). The Senate chief whip further exonerated the Chairman, Daar Communications of complicity in last Friday bomb incident. Dr Raymond Dokpesi is a gentleman of impeccable profile and well respected and detribalised Nigerian whose contributions to the growth and development of the nation are solidly grounded.

He has never been associated with acts of violence or physical intimidation. We have absolute confidence in his capacity and determination to carry out the responsibilities of our campaign activitie. We wish to state in unequivocal terms that Dr. Dokpesi has no relationship and will not associate with terrorists or terrorism and will never support any act capable of destroying humanity and statehood of our great country.