Those calling for Buhari’s resignation, impeachment are anarchists – Presidency

The Presidency has risen in defence of President Muhammadu Buhari, following widespread calls for him to resign due to the alarming spate of insecurity in the country.

The calls for Buhari, who has about 10 months to leave office, to throw in the towel resurged at the weekend, when terrorists who abducted over 60 passengers on a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja, released a video of some of the passengers being tortured and humiliated.

As if that was not enough, the AK-47 wielding terrorists threatened in the video which has since gone viral, that they would kidnap President Buhari, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and some other political office holders, to press home their demands and anger against the Nigerian state.

Apparently to show their seriousness, a team of Presidential Guards on patrol at the Bwari area, on the outskirt of the Abuja city centre, was ambushed by terrorists, killing seven soldiers.

The affront, so close to the seat of government, led the opposition senators of the National Assembly to call on the president to resign, if he could no longer protect the country.

The senators gave President Buhari six weeks to curb the overwhelming insecurity or face impeachment from office.

But the Presidency in response, called the lawmakers and other eminent citizens who had advised Buhari to quit anarchists.

Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, while speaking on a television interview programme on Wednesday night, said rather than dousing the tension in the land those calling on the president to resign were busy fanning the flame.

READ: Senators give Buhari six weeks to curb insecurity or be impeached

“Well, we have plenty of anarchists in this country. I heard a very senior lawyer, somebody we respected so much, he was talking yesterday, asking the president to resign; the president was tired, he is an anarchist even though he’s a senior lawyer.

“Some of those lawmakers are anarchists. Instead of trying to mortify the situation in the country; instead of talking sensibly, instead of appealing to the positive sentiments of Nigerians, they are stoking the fire, they are anarchists.

“But the news we have for them is that many more Nigerians are positive than the anarchists we have in the system,” Adesina vaunted.

The presidential aide continued with his lambast: “Some of those who spoke also referred to Endsars, that what is going to happen is going to be worse than Endsars, and the question is, is Endsars something anybody should wish for Nigeria.

“Endsars was anarchy, Endsars was carnage, Endsars was cannibalism, Endsars was all that was wrong with the society.

“Now, for anybody, whether lawyer or not, whether labour leader or not to say what is coming is going to be worse than Endsars, that person is an anarchist. I repeat it, pure and simple, an anarchist.”

Adesina said the president has summoned a security meeting for Thursday, adding rather snidely, “They’re not going to be drinking coffee or tea there and patting themselves on the back. It’s going to be a frank discussion and it will be how do we solve these challenges that we have.”