Jonathan not serious about welfare of nation’s security, says APC presidential campaign

All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign on Monday berated President Goodluck Jonathan for not showing the necessary seriousness to the welfare and safety needs of members of the nation’s security personnel.

The APC Presidential Campaign alleged that the President is prepared to trade their welfare and security needs for his political gains.

The was contained in a press statement issued by the APC Presidential Campaign in Abuja on Monday.

The APC Presidential Campaign stated that it is for reason of political exigency and to carry on with his “gentleman image” who cannot hurt a fly that Jonathan has failed continuously as a Commander-in-Chief, unable to mobilize the security forces and to provide them with the necessary leadership to accomplish their objective.

The press statement, signed by Mallam Garba Shehu, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign said: “President Jonathan is not serious about the welfare and safety needs of members of the nation’s security personnel and is prepared to trade their welfare and security needs for political gains, says the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

“It is for reason of political exigency and to carry on with his “gentleman image’ who cannot hurt a fly that the President has failed continuously as a Commander-in-Chief, unable to mobilize the security forces and to provide them with the necessary leadership to accomplish their objective.

“The attitude of the Jonathan government to the cruel fate that befell more than one hundred policemen and operatives of the Directorate of the State Security Services (DSS) who lost their lives while on a mission to arrest the Spiritual Leader of the notorious Ombatse cult in Nasarawa State, last year, is yet the most glaring example of how callous and uncaring a government which claims to be democratic can be.

“In serious countries, the government does not toy with the lives and well-being of its security men such that any act of violence visited on the personnel of the security establishment is tantamount to an assault on the nation as a whole.

“The action of the US and French authorities when terrorists attacked their Police personnel on duty is a case in point.

“These governments did not rest until the perpetrators were eliminated and investigation is still continuing to get to the root cause of the assault to prevent future occurrence.

“In the case of the Ombatse killings of our security men, the administration of President Jonathan displayed incredible levity that shocked the nation and left a sour taste in the mouth of relations and families of the unfortunate slain security men.”

The APC Presidential Campaign therefore requested Jonathan to reflect on the way he handled the massacre of the nation’s policemen and DSS operatives in May 2013 in Nasarawa State.

This, it said, becomes necessary because President Jonathan has been telling the country during his ongoing political campaign that he cares about our security personnel, saying: “This cannot be true.”