National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Prince Uche Secondus has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare state of emergency on insecurity, warning that the 2023 general election may be stalled if something urgent is not done about the security situation in the country.
According to him, the current development about security in the country endangers everyone’s life without exception, stating that, it is so frightening that it requires critical stakeholders to deliberate on the future of the country.
The PDP chairman who spoke during an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in Abuja on Thursday, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute a National Security Conference for comprehensive and all-embracing deliberations on the future of the country.
He said: “All the ‘noise’ for 2023 will amount to naught if the security challenges are not drastically addressed.”
“Our country today is grounded by insecurity and there has been no matching response from the government despite the demands of the 1999 operating constitution in Section 14 Sub section (2b) that “the welfare and security of the citizens shall be the primary purpose of government.
“Terrorists in the North before were confined to the North East region but today 50 villages have been reportedly taken by them in the North Central state of Niger. Herdsmen are also menacing in the West, gunmen causing havoc in the East and the militants in the South, all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear.
“Clearly, anarchy is being let loose on the people with the government unable to provide any resistance. We have therefore invited you to enable the party, as the main opposition in the country, to add its voice to the worrisome situation with a view to saving not just democracy but even the country.
“Having shown clearly its incapacity, the APC led-government has swallowed its pride and now invited the international community to come and help out. This ought to have been done long ago instead of pretending and spilling innocent blood.
“Leaders of the party, I, therefore, invite NEC to note on this very critical matter with a view to offering the necessary advice to the government at all levels for prompt solution.
“This has become necessary as nothing, not even 2023 is realistic if security issues are not adequately addressed.”
The party in the same vein has urged Buhari to urgently declare a state of emergency on insecurity to end the escalating insecurity in the country.
The party, on Thursday, in a 13 paragraph communiqué issued at the end of its emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, lamented the heightened insecurity in the country.
“NEC urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately declare a national state of emergency on security.
“NEC also urged President Buhari to, without delay; convoke a national conference on security so as to galvanize ideas and options to tackle insecurity in our country.”