The Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Jos, stating that the ex-VP “lacks the locus standi to complain on behalf of the people of the State.”
In a statement released on Monday by its acting publicity secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, Plateau APC said Atiku’s attack was politically motivated and “uninformed.”
Chronicle NG reported that Tinubu over the weekend attended the funeral service for Mama Lydia held at the Church of Christ in Nations headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
During the service, Tinubu delivered a speech calling for unity, peace, and tolerance, and urged residents to “shun religious and ethnic differences” and to coexist in harmony.
In a Saturday statement, Atiku criticized Tinubu’s plan to visit Plateau, one of the places hardest hit by violent attacks, as “a sad reflection of priorities and a mockery of leadership.”
He claimed that the president’s choice to attend the event “under the auspices of his party’s national chairman” demonstrated a lack of understanding and sympathy.
The ex-VP said that Tinubu should have paid a visit to sympathize with victims of the region’s ongoing killings and displacement.
However, Plateau APC noted that Atiku’s criticism neglected the role of state governors in preserving security, as well as the president’s support for local security operations.
The party claimed Atiku’s remarks amounted to creating “political capital” out of tragedy.
It said, “By all standards and definitions, Alhaji Atiku belongs to the class of the nation’s statesmen, in addition to the fact that he possesses the qualities of an infamous opposition leader in Nigeria’s political landscape.
“From the content of his statement and disposition, in the context of insurgency on the Plateau, it would not be out of place to say that Alhaji Atiku spoke in bad faith and also from an uninformed position.”
The party defended Tinubu, saying, “Undoubtedly, Asiwaju is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, on whose shoulders the security of the citizens of the country rests, notwithstanding the fact that the state governors, too, owe the people the constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property in their respective jurisdictions.
“In crisis situations, the President usually gives marching orders to the security agencies to, at all costs, restore peace and order, in addition to providing logistics support to effectively carry out their mandates.”
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It was highlighted that Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s public acceptance of federal backing for Plateau security operations, as well as Tinubu’s enthusiastic reception in Jos, demonstrated local appreciation for the president’s intervention.
While the APC acknowledged that discourse on how to combat insecurity was appropriate, it maintained that Atiku’s broad critique of a presidential condolence visit was incorrect.
“If Governor Mutfwang, the Chief Security of the State, could in all honesty publicly give the President a pat on the back, it stands to reason that Alhaji Atiku lacks the locus standi to complain on behalf of the people of the State,” the party said.
The Plateau APC called on critics to focus less on ceremonial visits and more on practical demands.
“What is of utmost importance and interest to the people of Plateau State is the need to provide more military assets as well as boots on the ground to tackle the insurgents head-on, rather than ceremonial visits,” Plateau APC added.
