The Presidency on Saturday reacted sharply to a letter written by Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State to his northern governors, describing it as “an unmitigated leadership disaster and a sad betrayal of trust by a major beneficiary of the Nigerian nation.”
Nyako had in the letter accused the Federal Government under President Goodluck Jonathan’s watch as carrying out genocide against northern states with impunity.
But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in a statement said the content of the governor’s letter exposed him as lacking a sense of history.
Okupe said the letter further portrayed the governor as incapable of rising above “parochial sentiments and possessing a morbid hatred for facts and truth in public discourse.”
While describing the letter as extremely divisive, the presidential spokesman said it was intentionally meant to incite one section of the country against the other.
The statement read, “Governor Nyako claims that President Goodluck Jonathan is from the Eastern region which, according to him, is responsible for the killing of Northern political elites on the 15th of January 1966
“This is a very disgraceful remark by the governor and a pathetic embarrassment to the Nigerian Military from where Nyako derives his career antecedents. It is certainly a reflection of the governor’s ignorance and unpatriotic inclinations.
“Similarly, the Adamawa State Governor referred to the Boko Haram terrorist group as a ‘phantom organisation’ which he believes does not exist! How hypocritical!?
“In his unwise and desperate attempt to demonise the Federal Government, Governor Nyako likened the military operations against insurgents to the activities of German dictator, Adolf Hitler!
“In his befuddled mind and apparent hallucination, the Federal Government should be held responsible for the activities of insurgents in the North-East and the sad killings,wanton destruction, murder and kidnapping of school children as well as other horrendous activities of Boko Haram should be hung on the neck of the Federal Government!
“He therefore invited his colleague northern governors to join him to sue the Federal Government. This definitely defies common sense and portrays Mr. Nyako as unfit for the hallowed position of a state governor.”
Okupe, therefore, urged Nigerians to ignore the letter which he described as senseless letter.
“It is obvious that Governor Nyako’s opposition to the declaration of a state of emergency in three affected states of the North East as well as his repeated calls for the withdrawal of the Military from troubled states without any credible alternative or security road map, is an open endorsement of the activities of the insurgents which is meant to provide them unrestricted opportunity to further unleash terror on innocent citizens in order to precipitate chaos, further instability, mayhem and anarchy; a situation which they intend to exploit to undermine the administration and truncate our growing democracy. This, Nigerians will surely not allow to happen.”
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent said it was unfortunate that a governor could make such a statement when he knew the President knew nothing about the insurgency in parts of the country.
Gulak said Nyako was only telling lies with the aim of pitching the North against the President.
He said the governor’s plan was to ‘pull the house down just because he was leaving office in a few months.’
