Emergency rule extension: ACF urges NASS to reject request

From Femi Oyelola & Mohammed Ibrahim, Kaduna

The northern Socio-cultural Forum, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has call on the National Assembly to reject President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to extend the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, saying the previous extension of state of emergency have proved to be a total failure and that the situation is made worse by every extension.

The Forum stated this in a communiqué, issued after the Rapid Response Committee of the forum held in Kaduna, yesterday.

“ACF deplored the deteriorating security situation in the country and the inability of the government to provide minimal security to the citizenry.  Only the morning of November 25, 2014, suicide bombers attacked a popular Maiduguri market, killing about 30 people and injuring scores of others.

“All these call into question the Federal Government’s capacity, willingness and sincerity in prosecuting the insurgency war and bringing it to a speedy end.  It appears that Nigerians are being pushed to the wall to defend themselves in desperation,” the statement read.

The communiqué, signed by the Secretary-General of the Forum, Col. John Uba (Rtd) further stated that, as an umbrella body for the North, it feels highly disgusted and embarrassed to note that Northerners actively serving in the Federal Government in very high positions not only remain passive but are collaborating in the mis-governance, ineptitude, financial recklessness and mindless corruption in the country.

Speaking on the recent fracas at the National Assembly, the ACF said “the ugly situation illustrates the extent to which our democratic institutions are being compromised and abused by the political leadership, in pursuit of narrow personal ambitions”.

The ACF called on the federal government to allow the Police and other agencies of State to operate within the parameters of the Constitution, adding that “no meaningful progress can be achieved unless we allow our institutions of State to grow and perform their functions without undue interference”.

With regards to the forthcoming general elections, the Forum resolved that elections must hold under all circumstances and in every part of the country.

“All pending cases in court relating to President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to contest in the presidential election must be concluded before December 18, 2014, being the deadline for submission of names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).  This is extremely important for the survival of democracy in Nigeria,” the statement concluded.