…Blast Okupe
From ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna
The second phase of the mission to rescue the country’s democracy, which began last Saturday, will continue next week, with five northern governors visiting former President Shehu Shagari and ex-vice president, Alex Ekwueme.
Also, the governors will meet with former Senate presidents and Speakers of the House of Representatives as well as former national chairmen of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The visit, Daily Sun learnt, is a follow up to the ones made to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, last Saturday and to two former military heads of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Ibrahim Babangida during the week.
Confirming the development, Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State said that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the governors were billed to visit “former Defence Minister, General TY Danjuma, Ekwueme, all former PDP chairmen, former Senate presidents and former Speakers of House Representatives ,” adding that those insinuating that their mission was only targeted at PDP leaders were only trying to take the wind out of our sail.
He further said: “Nigeria is bigger than any individual. Our mission is to salvage the current situation and save our nascent democracy from imminent collapse. We are people with rich political history.
We know where we are coming from, as such, we will do everything to ensure that democracy survives in this country. We struggled to come about this democracy. In fact, some of us almost paid with our lives. Therefore, we must rise up to the challenge.”
On the attack on him and his colleagues, by the Presidency, through its Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, Lamido simply said: “Okupe is trying to earn a living and so he is trying to justify his pay and he is working dearly for it.
But let me say that as party men, we won’t join issues with our President on the pages of the papers. However, where was Okupe and his like when, as a party, we were struggling to make Jonathan, first as the party’s candidate and later as Nigeria’s President?
Where were they? If the PDP governors had not stood their ground, will those making noise today on behalf of our president have had anything to hold on to? “When we talk, we should do so with decorum and some sense of responsibility.
We should stop behaving as if we own today and that tomorrow will never come. We should always remember that there was yesterday. If those talking now have forgotten what happened yesterday, those listening to them today, know exactly what transpired yesterday.
“Therefore, we should stop behaving as if we own ourselves. We may have our plans, but we should always remember that God, our creator, is the best of all planners,” Lamido declared.
TheSun
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