The All Progressive Congress, APC Youth Progressive Frontier has slammed the former interim chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande over his recent ‘crude’ statement on the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The group said people like Akande should be taken for psychiatric test because a sane human being would never joke with health of a sitting president.
Bisi Akande had in a statement on Monday claimed that some people were “feasting” on President Buhari’s poor health.
The APC chieftain admitted that Buhari’s illness was gradually taking a toll on the country, adding that history may repeat itself.
“These are two great red flag dangers that have the potential of plunging the country into unprecedented chaos and of destabilising the gains of democracy since 1999.
“The greatest danger, however, is for political interests at the corridor of power attempting to feast on the health of Mr. President in a dangerous manner that may aggravate the problems between the executive and the national assembly without realising if, in the end, it could drag the entire country into avoidable doom.
“My greatest fear, however, is that the country should not be allowed to slide into anarchy and disorder of a “monumental proportion,” Akande was quoted in the statement as saying.
Reacting however, the APC youth group in a statement jointly signed by its National President, Gbolaham Badmus and Secretary General, Shodeinde Lukman, lampooned the former party chairman for trying to play politics with the president’s health.
The group called on Nigerians to rally round Buhari in prayers as he continues to work and fight against corruption, which has eaten deep into the nation’s economy.
The statement said, “As patriotic Nigerians that are thoroughly engrossed in the task of contributing our quota to the development of the nation, we are pained by the way and manner some key officials of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have chosen to make derogatory statement about the affairs of the nation especially the issues surrounding the well-being of our dear president, Muhammadu Buhari.
“In one of the latest instances, the founding National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande shamelessly told those who cared to listen to his infamous sermon that the health condition of the president have dovetailed into untold hardship on the citizenry and called for emergency measures to be taken in order to avert a national calamity. We view this as an irresponsible drift.
“With due respect, we wish to state categorically that such careless utterances by a person who is supposed to have known and appreciated the immense energy, vigour, dedication and a whole-hearted commitment President Buhari have injected into the task of rejuvenating our national life, is grossly disappointing. And has actually gone a long way to show how petty our grand parents have become. In order climes, this would have been a time for sober reflection and not a time for some people to take alibi in and unleash their hidden venom and deep rooted hatred against the president,” the group noted.
The APC youth noted that it was glaring that people like Akande is omly trying to tear the party apart with his personal interest and ulterior motives.
The statement added, “Equally, our belief is that, from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The main purpose of such utterances in our estimation is that, a section of the party is now torn between the pursuit of personal, yet infamous agenda which has the ultimate evil aim of creating an anomalous cabal that is tilted towards a particular section of the country rather that helping in rebuilding a virile nation that all of us will be proud to be its citizens. This is a dangerous dimension which we all patriotic Nigerians must gallantly stand up to defend democracy against hawks that are lurking around with dubious intentions.
“Ordinarily, we would have assumed that Chief Akande was making an intervention with a genuine intention but thorough checks by our network across the length and breadth of the nation have unequivocally indicated that, his action was a well orchestrated plan that has been calculated with the major aim of causing disaffection among Nigerians that have reposed absolute confidence in the administration of President Buhari which has embarked on a mission with a vision to redeem the country from the shackles of corruption, insecurity and economic redundancy.
“We tend to wonder what has prompted Chief Akande to embark on this holy-than-thou voyage most especially from the standpoint that President Buhari himself is completely honest to Nigerians and in fact genuinely told the country upon his return form his medical vacation in the United Kingdom that he has never as sick as that particular point in time.”
The group added that it was glad that the president had since resumed office after taking out some days to rest and attend to his health, which it noted has improved.
“We are happy and have chosen to give glory to the almighty God that barely a day after Chief Akande made that unguarded statement, our President pulled out of his well deserved rest to resume work in his office at the Aso rock presidential villa thereby perforating the assertion as earlier clandestinely made by our party elder.
“Those who met with Mr. President on Tuesday, 2nd May, 2017, including the Attorney -General of the federation, Abubakar Malami as well as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mainkanti Baru pointed out in loud and clear terms that he was in high spirit and on top of his job.
“This no doubt will come as a rude shock to Chief Akande who has chosen to become an unholy tool in the hands of some few self seeking individuals who have used him to massage their ego.
“We are tempted therefore to mention that in sane places, elders like Chief Akande are the conscience of the society who use their accumulated wealth of experience, expertise, contacts and goodwill to impact positively on the lives of the generality of the people as well as add impetus to the giant strides of the administration in order to bring about national cohesion but not for destructive purposes in the shabby manner portrayed by Chief Akande who vainly tried to cast aspersions on our collective existence.
“We greatly regret to re-echo the belief that, if Chief Akande has any misgiving against any organ of the government he should find better ways to ventilate on such grievances rather than dragging the president and the presidency into a needless battle that will pitch the executive against the legislature and even the judiciary whom he also frontally targeted in his barbaric outing.
“In extreme cases, we are also recommending a psychiatric test for persons like Chief Akande and his barefaced litany of co-travellers. Nigeria belongs to all of us and not a particular section or elements who think by talking down on President Buhari, they will achieve cheap political goals not minding that such will not be of any consequence on the rest of us,” the statement added.
In a related development, the Arewa Consultative Forum, on Tuesday, also frowned at the unhealthy statement credited to Akande over President Buhari’s health.
