The pro-democracy advocates warned that Mohammed utterance could lead to military interruption of the democracy the country fought hard for.
Junaid Muhammed, an elder statesman, had said that should anything happen to President Muhammadu Buhari, the North would insist on another two terms in 2019. His words:
“The zoning in the Peoples Democratic Party has not worked. Now it is trending in the All Progressives Congress. It is either we fix it or ship it out altogether. If that is not done, then you have to go back and redress it by saying that in the course of zoning and rotation, (Umaru) Yar’Adua died in office.”
In a swift reaction to the elder statesman’s comments, the National Coordinator of GDM, Mr. Sabo Odeh while addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Mohammed’s criticism of the Buhari administration has become so commonplace that no one is moved by them anymore.
Odeh said, “As much as we like to dismiss Dr Junaid Mohammed’s grave error as what it is, based on information in public domain about moves being made by some self-seeking and over ambitious individuals, the admission a few hours ago by the military hierarchy after studying the various intelligence that people are approaching soldiers for political reasons has forced us to begin connecting dots. We can see where the politician’s confidence is coming from as he apparently thinks he can compromise a few soldiers to act along the subversive ways he has been hinting at for a while.
“We are telling Junaid Mohammed and his co-travelers that he is not speaking for any part of the country even though he couched his utterances in a way that suggests he has the mandate of a section of the country for his provocative remarks. He is on his own and if he is working with anyone, such persons who are anti-democratic should know that they risk jail terms as many have observed that they are extending their nocturnal meetings to some misguided elements in the Armed Forces to co-opt them into this unholy venture,” the coordinator said.
“We like to set it out clearly here that we decided to speak at this early stage, which some people may consider as hasty or premature, but we know that scenarios like our country is dealing with require proactiveness. Things must not be allowed to degenerate beyond repairs before critical interventions are made.
“Some few days ago now, President Muhammadu Buhari, notified the nation vide a letter to the National Assembly, explaining his trip to the United Kingdom for a follow up treatment with his doctors. This honest step taken in keeping with the constitution has become the subject of ceaseless abuse by people that are eager to start or reboot their political careers. The discounting of morality to explore the ill health of a leader is something that leaves those engaged in the act pitiable as they should be.
“This same understanding that desperation for relevance is behind the uninformed responses that some people have made about President Buhari’s health however does not extend to Dr. Junaid Mohammed, a former House of Representatives member and self-appointed critic of the current administration.
“He practically was calling for a coup, including making conjectures that amounted to him being categorical in wishing death on the president. This is bizarre beyond comprehension.
“Our hope is that Junaid Mohammed is not by any chance trying to have his own Cote d’Ivoire military mutiny here in Nigeria because there are laws.
According to him, Mohammed Junaid is not a supporter of the President neither is he a democrat and should not extend his hatred for the President to this venture that can set the country on fire.
“The news we have for Junaid Mohammed and those queued behind him is that nothing will happen to the President; he therefore has no business fueling such a demonic agenda that has no constitutional bearing anywhere in our statutes books. Even if he shouts himself hoarse it would be for nothing for his shouts would have been in vain when Mr President returns to resume the duty Nigerians entrusted to him.”
“We urge the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to cite Junaid Mohammed for promoting ethnic intolerance and engaging in hate communication with a view to turning other ethnicities against the northern part of the country and vice versa.”
