The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organization on Monday raised the alarm about reports of a fake leader of the dreaded sect, Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, being presented before Nigerians by the government at the centre in order to claim glory of winning the war on terrorism.
The APCPCO pointed out that credible sources have alerted it that the fake Shekau might become a tool to blackmail members of the opposition.
The campaign organisation said the phantom Shekau was being coached to say he was working for the opposition party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, in order to link him to terrorism as it had attempted to but failed in the past.
A statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APCPCO, Malam Garba Shehu, wondered where the ‘new Shekau’ will come from after government several times in the past had announced that they had killed the insurgent leader.
The statement said: “The charge to the military that they should catch Shekau alive by the President in the last 24 hours lends credence to the report that indeed a fake Shekau is about being created.”
The statement went on to assert that the profile of the leader of the insurgents, Shekau, of a dedicated ideologue presupposes that the man is not likely to allow himself to be caught alive.
It added: “It is both contradictory to the ideology he preaches and the psychological profile that the world has of him that Shekau would allow himself to be caught alive.”
The APCPCO recalled that the attack back in Kaduna on Buhari was seen and believed by most Nigerians that it was perpetrated by the Boko Haram.
It said: “The police that is constitutionally empowered to investigate and report on such incidents has not contradicted the widespread belief that this was a Boko Haram attack.
“The view of the APC is that it does not make sense for General Muhammadu Buhari to be in league with, or be associated in any way with people who have set out to kill him.”
In the view of this, the APCPCO said the government needs to listen to the various counsel from international bodies and lately by the country’s religious leaders that campaign must be about issues and not maligning people.
It said: “Unfounded allegations linking the opposition to insurgency amounts to leaving the issues to pursue personal attacks as warned against, barely 24 hours ago by leaders of the Catholic Community in the country, through Arch. Bishop John Onaiyekan.”
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