BEVERLY HILLS, June 14, (THEWILL) – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decried the shooting and security breach which took place at the Presidential Villa during week.
In the same vein, a former Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, and civil society group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), have called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
THEWILL had exclusively reported that the Villa was thrown into confusion, Thursday night, when the First Lady Aisha Buhari accompanied by her children – Zahra, Halima and Yusuf, – took a team of policemen led by her Aide-De-Camp to forcefully confront Sabiu ‘Tunde’ Yusuf, the President’s influential Personal Assistant and favourite nephew over his refusal to self-isolate after his trip to Lagos to see his wife, who had just given birth to a boy.
There was an altercation between him and Mrs. Buhari, her children and her security aides that eventually snowballed into a near fatal brawl as Mrs. Buhari’s ADC and four members of her police escort fired some shots as Tunde, who had been seriously wounded, escaped to the residence of Mamman Daura.
Reacting, the PDP, in a statement on Saturday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, expressed worry that the protracted feud between the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari and some aides of the President.
“The PDP is deeply worried that the protracted spat between the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, and aides of President Muhammadu Buhari has now degenerated into violent combats, raids and free use of firearms within the Presidential Villa,” it said.
ALSO READ: Aisha Buhari Urges Police IG To Release Her ADC, Other Assigned…
“Our party is disturbed by such ugly situation in the Buhari Presidency, which has already heightened apprehensions in the public space over the apparent failure of security architecture and central command system in the Presidency, leading to such reckless and irresponsible breaches.
“The chaotic situation in the Presidential Villa only points to the failure by President Buhari to provide a leadership that can guarantee orderliness in governance and effectively ensure the security of our nation.
“The PDP notes that such leadership failure at the highest level has further exposed why our nation has been bedeviled by myriads of security and economic problems under President Buhari’s watch in the last five years.
“More worrisome is that the Buhari Presidency had failed to speak out on the frightening situation so as to reassure Nigerians and douse the tension in the polity; especially at this critical time when our nation is facing serious security challenges.”
On his part, Odinkalu argued that once forearms were discharged within the Villa, it was no longer a family affair.
“There are rumours – neither affirmed nor denied by the Presidency – that there has been discharge of firearms in the Villa by or from uniformed personnel. If that is true, it is no longer a family affair.
“Any discharge of firearms in the Presidency is presumed to be either on the orders of the President or against him. If it is the latter, it could be treasonable. If it is the former, it could be defence of state. We need to be told which and reassured that the President is safe.”
HURIWA said it was time President Muhammadu Buhari took charge of his domestic issues in the Villa to check the constant disgraceful infighting and squabbles between his personal aides and his wife as it called for a thorough investigation of the incident.
HURIWA made this known in a statement endorsed jointly by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf.
“HURIWA is hereby telling the Nigerian Government that Nigeria needs a leader who will not be distracted with regular disagreements that sometimes spill out into a dramatic PUBLIC SHOW OF SHAME.
“Nigeria has greater issues that demands the full attention and focus of the President to resolve such as rebuilding the collapsed national infrastructures of health, education, Water and restoration of security across the Country than to for the President to be weighed down by constant squabbles by his family members and aides over contestation for supremacy,” it said.
About the Author
