Following the cancellation of his trip to Gusau, the Zamfara State Capital on Thursday, the Peoples Democratic Party has criticised the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for cancelling his planned visit to the troubled region.
This is as it argued that the President would have easily embarked on the journey by road but was “afraid because he was not sure of his security as well as the dilapidated state of our roads under his watch”
The Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Friday titled, ‘Insecurity: PDP mocks, berates Buhari for cancelling trip to Zamfara State’.
The main opposition party dismissed the President’s excuse of not travelling to Zamfara State because of inclement flying weather when he had the option of travelling the short trip from Sokoto to Gusau by road.
“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 and 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,” the PDP said.
The party said the cancellation is another demonstration of the President leading from behind against his promise and commitment to Nigerians to lead from the front in the fight against terrorism.
It said such attitude to governance speaks volumes about why the nation is in a “shambolic state under the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress regime which is largely laidback, unconcerned and corrupt.”
The party added, “If truly the people matter to Mr President and his Party, the APC; then Mr President would have taken it upon himself, with all the apparatus of power at his disposal, to visit and empathise with the people of Zamfara State who are daily traumatised 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.”
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