The New Nigerian Peoples’ Party (NNPP) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to employ the use of diplomacy and tactics to secure the release of over 200 girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Bornu State abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents on the 14th day of April 2014.
This was contained in an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan tagged,” Message of hope and Solidarity to Mr. President and the People of Nigeria on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of Unbroken Democracy in Nigeria”, which was signed by the National Secretary of the party, Mr. Major Agbo and made available to Daily Champion.
The party said that the abduction of over 200 girls of the government Secondary School, Chibok , Bornu state by the suspected members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram seemed like a trap set to know what the President would do as it appeared that those abducted girls provided a human shield to the sect members.
The party stated that although it believed in the use of military force to establish the effectiveness and efficiency of the nation’s military was a good one, it however warned that care must be taken and compromise reached where necessary, as the safety of the abducted girls should guide every government action on the matter.
The release read in part,” history is replete with stories of powerful nations that resorted to negotiation with terrorists when the issue of abduction is involved. Israel, USA, Egypt are some of the counties that have found themselves in this type of situation. Only last weekend, the United States swapped its citizen for some suspected terrorists. We have cases of Israel even in its war with Palestinians, who it (Israel) tagged terrorists, carrying out the release of Palestinian terrorists in exchange of even a dead Israel soldier”.
“The essence of diplomacy shall be a deliberate and sincere negotiation with a view to granting safety to the sect. We are happy that international interventions are being sort as a helping hand. At the same time, Mr. President, we must advise that you remain focused otherwise; we shall fall into the terrorists’ antics of creating fear, confusion and undue suspicion among leaders. It is a known fact that there is a vogue of terrorism against humanity at present and Nigeria is getting her own share of the negativity”.
It pointed out that the terror attack in some parts of the Northern Nigeria had nothing to do with the 2015 general elections as well as religion as various Islamic groups and leaders had denounced the sect as not representing Islam.
While it recalled that terror attacks started earlier than the present administration though the tempo seemed higher at the moment, it called for the collective will of Nigerians to work against the insurgents.
The party therefore expressed the belief that the 1999 constitution of the country provided the President the opportunity to run but reminded the President that his ability to achieve this is dependent on the willingness of his party to present him as their candidate as the issue of candidature is an internal affair of the party.
While acknowledging that the citizen’s drive to sustainable democracy in Nigeria abhors threat and counter threat by some people, the party urged the President to allow his achievements in the provision of the dividends of democracy speak for him reminding him that should there be any reason why the Peoples’ Democratic party (PDP) would not field him as its candidate in the 2015 general election, NNPP would be ready for him in order to continue his drive of enthroning a new Nigeria.
