The
All Progressives Congress has accused the presidency of being
economical with the truth in its response to the widespread condemnation
of President Goodluck Jonathan for hobnobbing with the alleged Boko
Haram sponsor, Ali Modu Sheriff.
In a
statement issued in Dubai on Friday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the presidency’s stout
defence of Sheriff’s presence at President Jonathan’s meeting with host
President Idris Deby of Chad, and the fact that the presidency’s
statement was coordinated with the one by Sheriff’s spokesman, has shown
that the APC is right to have called for the trial of Sheriff and other
alleged Boko Haram sponsors by the International Criminal Court,
instead of the Nigerian security agencies which are under the Jonathan
spell.
It said President Jonathan has
not got the liver to investigate and prosecute the accused, who are his
friends, adding: ”How can you prosecute a person who accompanies you on
a high level security meeting to a foreign head of state?”
”The
presidency said the security agencies are investigating Sheriff and
that the President will not interfere, but what message was the
President sending to the security agencies by circulating the picture of
the accused with himself? Is that a subtle message to the security
agencies that the accused is a friend of the President hence he is
untouchable?
”The presidency said
Sheriff has a long standing business in Chad. Is the presidency not
aware of the memo sent home by the Nigerian Defence Adviser in Chad
concerning Sheriff? Why didn’t the presidency tell Nigerians whether or
not the investigation recommended by the Defence Adviser over Sheriff’s
alleged sponsorship of Boko Haram was ever carried out, and if so what
was the outcome? APC queried.
It
insisted that President Jonathan exhibited palpable indiscretion by
allowing himself to be photographed with an accused terrorism sponsor
while on a foreign trip to rally support for his country’s
anti-terrorism efforts.
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