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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is alarmed by the reported shooting and security breaches within the precincts of the Presidential villa following a reported degenerated squabble among family members and officials of the Buhari Presidency.
According to Sahara Reporters, a personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, Sabiu Yusuf had ordered the police to arrest aides to the president’s wife, Aisha Buhari after they got him ejected from the presidential villa for not complying with COVID-19 safety measures.
Yusuf, who is also Buhari’s nephew, was said to have been evicted from the villa after he returned from Lagos to Abuja on Monday and refused all entreaties to go on self-isolation as required — to keep the president’s family safe.
Following that, Aisha, in a series of tweet on Friday, called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to release her aides “in order to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to COVID-19 while in their custody”.
“That Covid-19 is real and still very much around in our nation is not in doubt. Consequently, I call on all relevant Government Agencies to enforce the Quarantine Act signed by Mr. President and ensure no one is found violating this law and the NCDC guidelines especially on interstate travel without the necessary exemptions for movement of essentials,” said the First Lady.
“Anyone who does that should at the very least be made to under go a 14 days mandatory isolation no matter who the person is, no one should be above the law and the Police command will do well to remember that.
“Finally, I call on the IGP to release my assigned Staff who are still in the custody of the Police in order to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to Covid-19 while in their custody.”
Reacting to the report, the PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Saturday, said the party was “deeply worried that the protracted spat between the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, and aides of President Muhammadu Buhari has now degenerated into violent combats, raids and free use of firearms within the Presidential villa”.
Ologbondiyan described as distressing, the report that a members of Mr. President’s family were at scene of the assault against one of President Buhari’s aides, during which the First Lady’s security details were alleged to have resorted to the use of firearms.
“Our party is disturbed by such ugly situation in the Buhari Presidency, which has already heightened apprehensions in the public space over the apparent failure of security architecture and central command system in the presidency leading to such reckless and irresponsible breaches,” he noted.
“The chaotic situation in the Presidential villa only points to the failure by President Buhari to provide a leadership that can guarantee orderliness in governance and effectively ensure the security of our nation.
“The PDP notes that such leadership failure at the highest level has further exposed why our nation has been bedeviled by myriads of security and economic problems under President Buhari’s watch in the last five years.
“More worrisome is that the Buhari Presidency had failed to speak out on the frightening situation so as to reassure Nigerians and douse the tension in the polity; especially at this critical time when our nation is facing serious security challenges.”
The PDP spokesman therefore called on the President to take immediate steps to restore order in his Presidency and shield the security system from the division and power tussle among persons close to him.
“Our party also demands for an immediate inquest into the security breaches as well as the alleged violation of COVID-19 ban on inter-state travels by officials and relations of Mr. President, which was reported to be part of the immediate causes of latest disturbances in the Presidential villa,” he said.
“Furthermore, the PDP urges the National Assembly to save the nation by wading into the persistent infighting in the Buhari Presidency especially as those in charge of the Presidential villa has not demonstrated the required capacity to engender the needed orderliness for productive governance.”
