Stop Trading Borno For Presidency, Group Tells Rep Gujbawu

A group, Maiduguri Patriotic Front, MPC, has cautioned a member of House of Representatives, representing Maiduguri Metropolitan Council,Engineer Kyari Gujbawu, to focus on legislation and desist from "selling out his constituency of Borno mainly to please the Presidency for his selfish interests which can best be described as errand sycophancy".

Abba Kime Lawan, Secretary of the group said in a Statement that "it is unfortunate that Gujbawu has made it his 'new legislative duty' to regularly and unnecessarily speak against the overall interest of Borno people over matters the Rep member shows clear ignorance of",maintaining that the lawmaker is fast becoming a lost son.

"We have noticed for sometime now, that our otherwise representative,Hon. Kyari Gujbawu forcefully and needlessly go to the media in support the Presidency against Borno any time there are issues and in the process he displays ignorance of the matters at stake. There are rumours that Gujbawu aims at being appointed a Minister and that he fears he lacks capacity to seek re-election in 2015 because he only rode on Governor Mohammed Goni's popularity as PDP governorship candidate to get to the House of Reps in 2011 as he was an unknown light weight in Maiduguri.

If this is true, we hold no grudge against Gujbawu for planning a possible way out for himself to remain in power beyond 2015 but what we find unacceptable is how Gujbawu is trying to sacrifice Borno people and its Government just to win the heart of Presidency that is openly against the northern Nigeria. Barely three weeks ago, Gujbawu went to the press (on Daily Trust) calling our exemplary Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima names because the Governor complained that the amount of N200m granted Borno by the Federal Government as palliative was grossly inadequate.

Ignorantly, Gujbawu went to say the FG couldn't have given only N200m whereas not even the Federal Government or Presidential spokesmen contested the figures made public by the Governor because what he said was the truth known to the Presidency. We remember watching on NTA Tuesday live edition, two months ago, guests at that forum said that Borno and Yobe were given N200m and N150m respectively, corroborating the figures given by the Governor. No one ever disputed it except Representative Gujbawu who is now more Niger Deltan than the Ijaws. Only today (Monday), Gujbawu again went to the same Daily Trust, saying INEC was right for planning to disenfranchise Borno people by excluding them from the 2015 elections.

This is most tragic. Perhaps he doesn't want elections knowing he can't even win PDP primaries. The member went on attacking our God-given Governor that every reasonable Nigerian, including those in the. Presidency and International community,applauded his reaction to INEC. For the records, what Governor Shettima logically said was that:"suspending national election such as the 2015 in any part of the 36 States and the FCT on account of Boko Haram activities would amount to making the insurgents supreme over the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it will be defeatist on our part as a nation.

The goal of Boko Haram is to impose their beliefs on us, subvert our constitution and our democracy and replace them with inhuman laws that support killings and destruction and should we suspend any part of the country whether in Borno,Yobe, Adamawa or any place at all from taking part in the 2015 election, the insurgents would be presuppose successes on their part and itching close to achieving their goals and we cannot allow that. We must insist that Nigeria is our sovereign country, we are the majority and a few cannot violently force their views on us.

I expect that as a strategy, Borno and Yobe and indeed any place so affected by the insurgents,should be the main focus for conduct of the 2015 elections by the INEC so that we send a clear message to those who want us to go into extinction that we will not cave in to their violent needs, we will move on. This is why, governance hasn't for one day, stopped in Borno State. With Allah's help made through the sacrifices,rooted support and prayers of our citizens, we have continued to rebuild and reinvent our very dear State. We would have been stagnant if we caved in to threats and by that, denied our citizens their rights to infrastructures and welfare services needed to improve their standards of living. I am very much aware of our constitutional and moral obligations to secure the lives and property of our citizens as a primary duty. We are working round the clock to live to that obligation no matter the circumstance and we will remain focused and committed.

I am eternally optimistic, without being blind to realities and challenges that with our determination, insha Allah Borno will be very stable sooner than later and pray it will be so across the country but even if need be, there could a special date for elections in these affected States such that there can be massive security deployment to man everywhere to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections, by that we will triumph over evil. But suspending the elections even in a polling unit mainly on account of Boko Haram will be a setback in the fight against terror,it will not be good for us as a country and it is bad for our reputation abroad.

I must say that our security men have done marvelously well,they are our heroes like our youths are even for their honour,we should remain firm as a resilient nation; suspending the 2015 elections in Borno will make mockery of the sacrifices made by those who laid their lives; to defend our constitutional democracy. ; we will be insulting their memories that we should preserve.

I,like all good citizens of Borno, firmly believe in a creed, that we must with courage, say no to those who desire our destruction, Borno is our land, we will flourish in it,no matter how tough and this has to be the national spirit. I therefore call on the Federal Government all stakeholders in the country and friends of Nigeria to look at the issue with analytical mindset far beyond what reasons we might be talking about now.

If Boko Haram is able to stop elections in three States,they might in no time, simply target additional States and gradually, they might stop elections in Nigeria; we can't allow that. More than the constitutional crisis the decision may plunge the country along with deepening political suspicions, the implication of suspending elections on account of insurgency will be grave, it would show supremacy of evil over good. It would strengthen insurgent and give them basis to foresee the ultimate victory they violently seek" and he spoke very reasonably. We expect every thoughtful person to reason with him except if Gujbawu shares the goal of Boko Haram which we hope he doesn't.