Nigeria almost at war – Makarfi

…Calls for national emergency on insecurity

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

Former Kaduna State governor and former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a national emergency on insecurity, warning that Nigeria cannot continue to operate as though the country is not facing a grave security crisis.

Makarfi, who spoke with newsmen at the weekend on the state of security, political developments ahead of the 2027 elections and the internal crisis within the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said insecurity has become a national challenge that requires urgent and coordinated action by all levels of government.

According to him, while it may be difficult for outsiders to fully assess the President’s handling of security because certain information remains outside the public domain, the reality is that security challenges across the country are worsening.

“Without fully knowing those things that are not in the public domain, it is difficult to properly assess any leader,” he said. “There could be things that are being done, but cannot be made public now.”

He added, however, that “the reality is that on the ground, the security challenges are becoming wider.”

Rather than apportion blame, Makarfi said the government should focus on practical solutions to stem the tide of insecurity.

“For me, rather than criticizing, I choose to offer advice. Because criticizing itself doesn’t solve a problem,” he said, adding, “The President, working in conjunction with the state governments, should declare a national emergency on security.”

The former governor argued that security should dominate government priorities over the next few years, with resources concentrated on strengthening the nation’s security architecture.

“Governance should change so that number one, two and three priorities are security, in all facets,” he stated. “You can’t be talking about rural electrification now, or so many things, when we have these security challenges.”

He said the Federal Government and state governments must jointly commit resources to recruit, train and equip security personnel while improving operational strategies.

“You can’t deal with the security issue without massive manpower enhancement in numbers, training of security forces, equipping them and all other logistics,” Makarfi said.

He also questioned the effectiveness of current approaches to tackling insecurity.

“We shouldn’t be reading, ‘we have a repeat attack, we have a repeat attack.’ The report should be, ‘they are running away, they are running away. We have cornered them, we have arrested them,” Makarfi said.

Describing the security situation as extraordinary, he said the government could no longer afford to operate as though conditions were normal.

“It’s almost a state of war, if not one. So let’s consider it as such and deal with it as such,” he said. “Things are not normal.”

Makarfi also dismissed attempts to politicise the security crisis, including recent calls by some opposition lawmakers for President Tinubu to suspend political activities or step aside if insecurity persists.

“Well, they too should suspend political activities,” he said. “I don’t want this thing politicized. If we politicize it, we will not achieve results.”

On political realignments ahead of the 2027general elections, Makarfi described consultations, alliances and coalition-building as natural developments in a democratic system but warned that governance must not take a back seat to politics.

“Political activities should not distract the government from its primary responsibility of governance,” he said.

“The focus of all political parties should be on presenting credible alternatives, articulating clear policies and addressing the concerns of Nigerians rather than merely engaging in political manoeuvring.”

The former PDP caretaker chairman also opposed suggestions that political parties should be deregistered ahead of the next election cycle.

“My personal view is that no political party should be deregistered,” he said.

According to him, any move to deregister parties at this stage could fuel suspicions of political interference and further weaken public confidence in the electoral process.

“People will be right to read political meaning into it,” he warned.

He nevertheless maintained that political parties must obey the Electoral Act and regulations governing candidate nominations.

Turning to the crisis within the PDP, Makarfi called for reconciliation among contending interests, saying continued internal divisions could hurt party members and jeopardise the party’s electoral prospects.

“I am not a factional person; I am a PDP person,” he said.

Recalling his experience during the leadership tussle involving former PDP National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, Makarfi said party leaders must ensure that members do not become casualties of internal power struggles.

“If we love the party, why should we take that path? We shouldn’t take that path,” he said.

He warned that the current trajectory could leave some aspirants stranded or result in legal disputes over the validity of candidates.

“Definitely some party men and women will be injured. And it is because of the actions of some of us.”

Makarfi insisted that reconciliation remains the best path forward for the opposition party.

“Right from day one, before the convention, some of us were for reconciliation and give-and-take. My position has not changed,” he said.

“A lot of water has passed under the bridge, but let’s do it for the future of the PDP,” he said.