Buhari Threatens To Back Out From Peace Accord, Says “Don’t Take My Peace For Weakness

Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, General

Mohammadu Buhari has threatened to back out of the historic Abuja peace
accord should the political allies of president Goodluck Jonathan continue
with their insults and verbal attacks on his person.

He also warned that no one should regard his patriotic commitment to
maintaining national peace for weakness, stressing that neither president
Jonathan nor his aides have the monopoly for the “flagrant breaches to the
Abuja Peace Accord.”

The APC presidential flag bearer also warned the authorities against
interfering with the constitutional duties and operations of the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC or surreptitiously hound
its chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega out of office before the expiration
of his tenure.
Buhari’s outburst followed the recent actions of Ekiti State Governor, Mr.
Ayo Fayose whom he said wished him dead in a paid advertorial and the
Director-General of the People’s Democratic Party Presidential Campaign
Organization, PDPPCO who was said to have repeated thrown tantrums over
his academic qualifications.

It will be recalled that president Jonathan, Buhari and other 12
presidential candidates on January 10, 2014 signed a peace pact to resist
violence before, during and after the general elections.

Speaking in a press conference in Abuja Wednesday, Buhari through the
Director, Media, Information Management Directorate of his Support
Organization, otherwise called, BSO, Dr. Chidi Maduekwe said that it was
time the presidential allies stopped attacking his person.

Maduekwe recalled that upon the postponement of the general election which
ordinarily would have prompted aggressions, Buhari camp swiftly appealed
to its supporters to be calm in the interest of the nation and the peace
accord, wondering why the political associates of the president Jonathan
had continued to flout the peace accord.

He said: “We are all witness to the recent postponement of 2015 elections
by INEC on the grounds that security chiefs could not guarantee security
at polls.

“While the postponement may have been within the constitutional window,
the excuse on security seemed not quite germane. This sudden shift became
acceptable to us for the sake of the overall interest for national peace .
Our teeming supporters were urgently appealed to maintain calm with the
assurances that six weeks will soon pass by as if it were just six days.

“Regrettably, following this postponement, PDP government acting in cohort
with the close aides and associates of Mr. President have been falling
head over hills among themselves as they compete on who delivers most
acidic insult, abuse, incendiary words and inflammatory remarks on our
revered Presidential candidate , General Muhammadu Buhari.

“These actions are all in breach of the Abuja Peace Accord jointly signed
by all the presidential candidates. This is totally unacceptable and
consequently we cannot continue to guarantee the tolerance limit of our
teeming supporters nationwide who are daily being inundated with death
wish commentaries on the person of General Muhammadu Buhari.

“It has become imperative to ask Mr. President to rein in his aides if he
must be seen to walk his talk that, his ambition is not worth any spill of
human blood . His aides and associates are disingenuously currently
working at cross purposes to this his favorite cliché by daily fanning the
ambers of hate, pursuance of death wish and even going as far as stalking
of GMB outside shores of this country.

“The memories of a nearly successful assassination attempt on the life of
GMB is still fresh in our mind . Our patience, our meekness, our
prayerfulness and our patriotic commitment to maintaining the national
peace should not be misconstrued for weakness.

“Let it be stated clearly that Mr. President’s aides and political
associates do not possess the monopoly for flagrant breaches to the Abuja
Peace Accord The hour has come to henceforth disallow these psychopathic
sociopaths that have taken over the megaphone of Mr. President and tell
them in very clear terms that enough is enough. We are ready to rise to
the occasion to take down any unwarranted, baseless and inflammatory
condemnation shot in our direction henceforth.

“We call on Mr. President to show full commitment to the terms and
conditionality of the Abuja Peace Accord jointly entered into and rein in
his aides and political associates from further infuriating commentaries
,hate speeches and to stop over heating the polity with their incendiary
remarks.”

Also speaking on the INEC, Maduekwe warned that any attempt to tamper with
the leadership of the electoral management body at this time of election
may prompt negative consequences for the country.
According to him, INEC must be allowed to use the card reader for the
election.

“We have all the while been enamored to bear this burden of daily insult
and aspersion on our principal because we hope and trust that very soon
INEC shall by March 28 and April 11th conduct a transparent free and fair
election. Our hope and trust in INEC becomes eroded every time we
assimilate these death threats and hate speeches from Mr. President
unrestrained hatchet men whose glaring and questionable track records
are well known to all and sundry.

“While Mr. President has repeatedly said that May 29th handover date is
sacrosanct . He is yet to declare that the Independence and Transparent
conduct of elections by INEC are sacrosanct. We also expect Mr. President
to unequivocally declare that the rescheduled election dates of March 28
and April 11 are equally sacrosanct.

“The above three declarations will truly take away the wind from these
hatchet men and showcase Mr. President as someone determined to walk his
talk that his ambition is not worth the spill of any person’s blood . His
recent media chat misrepresentation of his sole powers to hire and fire
INEC Chairman is not provided for in the constitution. This also needs to
be corrected.

“At this juncture in our march towards march 28th,2015, we make bold to
warn that any exogenous effort to interfere ,modulate , attenuate,
reposition or juxtapose the INEC leadership will be tantamount to an
inglorious and ill-timed behavior that will never resonate positively
within our polity at this time.

“This will certainly leave us with no choice but to doubt the transparency
of the current electoral processes . Any action by omission or commission
that prevents INEC from carrying out its constitutional mandate as
presently composed will be a grave consequence to our fledgling democracy.
INEC at this crucial time should not be deprived of the credibility it has
garnered over the years as has been attested to by both international and
local observers”, he said.

Citing Ghana, Kenya and Sierra Leone as African countries where the
technology of card reader had been proven to give credible elections, the
BSO’s spokesman said that INEC should be given a chance to conduct the
elections using the technology.

“The card Reader gave Ghana it’s freest, fairest and most credible
election in recent times. The Card Reader gave Kenya it’s freest, fairest
and most credible election in recent times. The Card Reader gave Sierra
Leone it’s freest, fairest and most credible election in recent times.

“Nigeria’s INEC successfully supervised the use of Card Readers in the
elections in Sierra Leone.

“Jega recently tested the card reader before members of the senate and
proved his mettle to the appreciation of the distinguished members.

“We must allow INEC to do in Nigeria what they supported Sierra Leone to
achieve. Nigerians want a free, fair and credible election where only
Nigerians can decide who leads them. We will not stand with anyone who
stands in the way of that freedom by dragging us back to the age of
Temporary Voters Card or otherwise.

“Mr. President is on record for praising INEC in the past in all
elections right from 2011. With the current improvement by INEC it is
curious that this same agency has now become the whipping boy for PDP
chieftains and aides of Mr. President. Any effort to destabilize INEC at
this hour will be a perilous endeavor that should never be contemplated”,
Maduekwe warned.

Vanguard