Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva has described President Goodluck Jonathan’s handling of security in Nigeria as poor, embarrassing and partisan.
A statement by his Media Adviser, Duofie Buokoribo, quoted the former governor, who is also a leader of the All Progressives Congress as condemning the bloody attack on the convoy of the APC National Leader and former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)
He described the apparent assassination attempt on Buhari as “a spineless assault on the voice of conscience in Nigeria by bigoted terrorists and their political sponsors seeking evil attention.”
He noted that Nigerians by their traditions and religions, are naturally peaceful people, stressing that persons promoting “this campaign of death and destruction” would surely be punished by God and men.
He insisted that Nigerians were frustrated by the way the Jonathan-led Federal Government was handling the menace of insurgency.
Sylva said, “The terrorists appear to have been left to ride roughshod on the country and its citizens by a government that chooses extreme partisanship over proactive measures to secure lives and property.
“We are embarrassed by President Jonathan’s poor handling of the security problem and a situation where the government has allowed its sense of partisanship to overshadow the needed political, economic, and social will to tackle the insurgency.”
He said in civilised societies, opposition leaders, as of right enjoy more protection from the government than even those in government.
“Murder is the worst form of censorship and this government has become increasingly notorious for attempting to permanently silence voices of opposition,” the former governor said.
He sympathised with the families of all the dead and injured victims of the twin bomb blasts targeted at Buhari and the prominent Islamic cleric, Sheik Dahiru Bauchi.
He said Buhari and Bauchi had been frankly critical of the Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism in all forms and therefore asked the Federal Government to take appropriate steps to protect the lives and property of citizens.
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