The 2015 presidential took a very ugly and sensitive turn Sunday when the PDPPCO zeroed in on APC Candidate Muhammadu Buhari’s war records.Speaking in Abia, PDPPCO Spokesman,Femi Fani Kayode said inter alia , “we are in Umuahia to look into a very touching and mind boggling issue. We came into this beautiful city last night after a tour of some states in the Eastern region over the past three days. During our tour we met with some key Ibo leaders. We attended caucus meetings with them and the questions that kept on coming up on the issue of the presidential election centered on the role General Muhammadu Buhari played in the very sad events of the night of January 29, 1966, when a coup d’état took place in our country and when no less than 300 Igbo army officers, a sitting Head of State, General Aguiyi-Ironsi and a serving Governor of the old Western Region, Colonel Fajuyi, were killed in the most brutal fashion in less than 24 hours. It is important for us to look into this today, considering the fact that General Buhari is aspiring to be the next President of Nigeria.
According to him “The Nigerian people have a right to know the truth about Buhari’s role in the tragic events of that night and they do not deserve to be kept in the dark. We deserve to know who did what, who to and how many times. That is the message that I got from most of the igbo leaders that I met on this tour and that is certainly the feeling of most Nigerians. The days of feeding our people with half-truths and telling them not to discuss the ugly events of the past are long over. It does not stop there.
Fani Kayode said “The other issues that were raised centered on the role General Buhari allegedly played during the very tragic events in the core north in the mid-60’s just before the civil war when no less than 100,000 innocent and defenceless Igbo civilians, mainly women and children, were killed within a period of three months by irate and well armed local mobs. Many have asked and wondered whether it is true that General Buhari was amongst those that covertly orchestrated and encouraged those killings and that supported the slaughter of these innocent and helpless citizens. We consider this issue most relevant today because this same man, who some people have alleged was involved in this carnage and genocide, is desperate to become the next President of Nigeria.
These and many other allegations drew a swift response from he APC Presidential Campaign Council which described as felonious, the statement credited to the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation on Sunday, in which questions were raised about the civil war role and commitment to the nation of General Muhammadu Buahri, the presidential candidate of the opposition party.
In a reaction by the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, the APC described the PDP statement as amounting to questions about the purpose of the continued being of Nigeria as a single entity.
The statement by the APCPCO signed by the Director of Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu described the PDP as questioning the “the continued existence of Nigeria as single entity. This is nothing short of treason. It rocks at the foundation of the oneness of Nigeria, its constitution, its flag and desecrates the blood of fellow citizens who fought on both sides of the war as part of their commitment to one, united nation.”
The APCPCO dismissed the PDP attack on General Buhari’s illustrious war record and inspiring patriotism as “a grim pointer to the desperation by the President to return even if in the process, he causes a permanent damage to the wellbeing and continued existence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” Garba accused the PDP of riding roughshod over the emotions of the Nigerian peoples, saying that the latest statement shines an unflattering light on the PDP and its government and lends credence to those who accuse the ruling party of having lost interest in the unity of Nigeria.
The APC noted in the statement that the world history has shown us that in the process of the development of any nation challenges bordering on national unity always crop up.
“This is the case with most developed nations. Take the United States of America for example, the civil war they fought did not decimate the nation but rather set up the base for unified development. Today, we all know how great the United States is.
“So, as it happened that here, we, Nigeria as a nation equally faced this type of challenge. We had to take actions, difficult as they were, to ensure peace, unity and progress. As a soldier of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Buhari’s participation in efforts to keep the country together was not because he loved the Igbos less but because it was imperative that we develop as a unified nation.
“Today, we are all here because of the sacrifices of our past heroes. Buhari as a person believes that these sacrifices should not be in vain; that we should build on our gains as a unified country on the pains of the past. Neither as Igbo, Hausa, Efik, Yoruba, Ijaw and Fulani, among other tribes but as brothers and sisters unified in the vision of a greater future for our children.”
The APC said “on the Igbo Question, Buhari as President will create the environment and provide the platform that will ensure that the concern of the Igbos and all other Nigerians is addressed in a fair and just manner.
