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Sola Ojo, Kaduna
Contrary to the statement of the Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) that the North would not join the “RevolutionNow” campaign called by Omoyele Sowore a few weeks ago, another northern group, Joint Northern Action Front, in Kaduna, yesterday, called on the North to join the campaign.
The group, in a statement by Samuel D. Katung and Tanko Mustapha, chairman and secretary, respectively, said the decision of the group to canvass for the campaign was premised on its discovery that President Muhammadu Buhari was not in full control of his administration.
The group vowed to begin the campaign in four states in the North this week, the results of which would determine its next line of action.
Part of the statement read: “We begin by reaffirming that we are believers of the personal integrity and capabilities of President Muhammadu Buhari and it was out of love and desire to see him carry this country to the Next Level that we joined protests earlier to force him to take the wheel of the Nigerian ship and not forsake the country in the hands of a cabal without people’s mandate or human sympathy.
“The demand at that time, was simply that the people of this country elected Muhammadu Buhari as their President, not Mamman Daura, not Ismaila Funtua, and definitely not Abba Kyari. Only President Buhari has our mandate to govern over the affairs of this nation.
“President Buhari was asked to take back control of his government and begin to walk his talk during the campaign by delivering on the promises made.
“These promises can only be achieved if the President is in the driver’s seat, not passenger’s seat, and if he is surrounded by patriotic men and women of goodwill who assisted him during the campaign in the eyes of the world, travelled the nooks and crannies of this country to sell the ideology of the change mantra to the generality of Nigerians. And not those who hide away when the going gets tough, only to re-emerge when the tough work is done and the battle is won.
“Today, insecurity permeates a vast area of the northern region majorly caused by poverty and slow pace of governance at all levels, and Mr. President has refused to let go of those who are pulling his government down.
“With all these problems going on in the country, most of which were due to the cabal around the President, the time became overdue for a massive protest all over the country, as called by Mr. Sowore and the #RevolutioNow team.
“While we recognise the right of individuals or other groups like the Coalition of Northern Groups to hold contrary opinion, we dont see justification in influencing the entire North not to participate in the #RevolutioNow.
“We, therefore, give notice that Northern Nigeria has been pushed to the wall and is now joining other parts of the country in a prolonged revolution protest until result is achieved.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Security Service (DSS) has released Mr. Ibrahim Dan-Halilu, 11 days after he was arrested at his Kaduna residence.
Dan-Halilu, a former Politics Editor at DailyTrust newspaper, was arrested for a Facebook post he made allegedly “supporting” #RevolutionNow, a pressure group against “abysmal governance and inept leadership” by the political class.
An intelligence operative with the DSS claimed that the erstwhile DailyTrust editor was released in Kaduna at about 6pm on Friday, and has since been re-united with his family.
