The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday described the comments by President Muhammadu Buhari expressing surprise at the heightened insecurity across the country as defeatist, demoralising and traumatising.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party stated that by this comment, President Buhari “has displayed a disheartening dereliction of duty, directly admitted that he is overwhelmed and lacks the required capacity to articulate and implement any solutions to the escalated insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, bloodletting and increased wave of violence under his administration.”
According to the statement, “our party holds that such a statement from a Commander-in-Chief, who promised to lead from the front, is distressing as it further exposes an abdication of duty and shows that Mr President is not even abreast of his major task in governance which is the security of lives and property.
“The PDP is particularly worried over this apparent display of leadership failure as Mr President ought to be receiving a daily brief from his Service Chiefs on the actual situation on the ground.
“His comment, therefore, speaks volumes on the manner with which the security of our nation is being handled at the highest levels despite the huge resources reportedly committed to security issues by the Buhari administration.
“The PDP notes that such development has further eroded the confidence Nigerians repose on the Buhari Presidency for solutions, especially given his failures to rejig his security high command in the face of failures and demands by well-meaning Nigerians.”
The party, therefore, expressed its total support for the call by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, asking President Buhari to resign.