...as NANS, Kuku disagree on Amnesty
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has said that retention of the political class in an emergency rule could be counter-productive even as it called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that harsher measures are meted out, should the crisis continues.
APGA national chairman, Victor Umeh, who spoke for the party also said that governors of the three states where a state of emergency was imposed by the Federal Government should be held culpable for the insecurity problems in their states.
The party also named a 20-man team to work for the rebuilding of the party. APGA has been in the throes of leadership crisis, following the ruling of Enugu High Court sacking the Umeh-led National Working Committee leadership.
Speaking with journalists after the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the National Chairman called on the President not to hesitate to introduce harsher measures to stem the ugly trend of insecurity in the northern part of the country if the situation persisted.
He said: "APGA commends and supports the President, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for declaring a state of emergency in the most affected states of the country, namely Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
"The President should not hesitate to introduce harsher measures to stem this ugly trend should the situation persist."
He accused some governors of not doing enough to secure the lives and property of their subjects, saying that there was need for the President to compel them to sit up The committee, chaired by Chief Ziggy Azike, has Senator Christie Anyanwu, Hon Uche Ekwunife, Hon Victor Ogene, Hon Ezenwa Onyebuchi, Hon Felix Ogbuagu and Chief Onwuka Ukwa as members.
Others include Amb. Chris Giwa, Chief Austine Ndigwe, Sir Chikwe Udensi, Chief Willy Ezeugwu, Chief Benjamin Ngbor, Dr. Mic Adams and Ezinne Amaka Agbiogwu. Umeh, who dismissed as unlawful, the meetings being called by Maxi Okwu and some former officers of the party, vowed to do everything to restructure and reposition the party.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) yesterday questioned the rationale behind the decision by the Federal Government to grant Boko Haram sect members amnesty.
The president of NANS, Mr. Yinka Gbadebo, made the position known in Abuja when the body paid a visit to the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and the chairman of the Niger Delta Amnesty Commission, Hon. Kingsley Kuku.
NANS was in Abuja to confer on Kuku, a life membership award of the body as a former national NANS leader in his university days. The students' boss said his body says an emphatic 'no' to the plan to grant Boko Haram members amnesty because "there is no good reason to grant a people who have killed so many innocent Nigerians pardon.
"In various institutions, they have killed our members, Nigerian students in hundreds and maimed even our teachers and other Nigerians who committed no offence. In Bauchi, they killed NYSC operatives, our members as well, and while they were serving, they were paid a stipend of N9,500, but the proposed amnesty for such killers plans to pay them N100,000 each.
So what is the wisdom? In his response to the students after receiving the award, Kuku disagreed with them and said there is nothing wrong in extending pardon to the sect members. Kuku said: "There is no price to much to pay for the nation to have peace."
National Mirror