Nigerians Slam Buhari Over ‘Unpleasant’ Tweets
POLITICS DIGEST – Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday drew the ire of some citizens after he threatened to clamp down on individuals perpetrating violence in the southeast region of the country.
Buhari’s threat was in reaction to the security reports he received from Southeast – where secessionist agitations have been heightened in the last six months.
At least about 11 offices of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and ten police stations have been set ablaze by assailants. Police officers have also been killed in the southeast.
What did Buhari say?
Buhari warned those who want to destroy the country through the promotion of insurrection and burning down national assets that a rude shock awaits them.
“Whoever wants the destruction of the system will soon have the shock of their lives. We’ve given them enough time,” Buhari said during a meeting with INEC officials in Abuja.
“These attacks are totally unacceptable, and we will not allow those behind them to achieve their evil objectives.”
Buhari said those behind the violence in the Southeast were too young to understand the pains of the Nigerian civil war.
“There must be zero tolerance for all those bent on destroying our country by promoting crime and insurrection,” Buhari said.
‘Threat to the southeast is unpresidential’
The president’s statement has since elicited varying reactions from Nigerians who questioned Buhari’s commitment to dealing with national issues with fairness and keeping Nigeria united.
Some of Buhari’s critics claimed that the president’s statement is an expression of the bias nature of his government since its inception in 2015, citing Buhari’s pleas to Boko Haram, bandits, and killer herdsmen who have killed hundreds and displaced thousands in the country.
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Former presidential candidate Kingsley Moghalu said Buhari’s threat to the southeast “is not the kind of word he should say as the president.”
“I think (your) language matters when you are a leader and when you are facing many crises because that language can be interpreted in many ways,” Moghalu said during a television interview.
Moghalu accused Buhari of “bringing up evocations that are very unpleasant” but said the president should have assured Nigerians that his government will continue to work to ensure the safety of lives and properties.
Many Nigerians on Twitter share Moghalu’s views.
