Fuel Crisis: Obasanjo's Govt Has No Shame - Buhari Okorocha, Akande, others shun rally

www.thisdayonline.com By Collins Edomaruse in Lagos and Donald Andoor in Port Harcourt

Presidential candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) yesterday in Port Har-court, Rivers State, lampooned the Federal Government over the resurgence of fuel crisis and said: "Obasanjo's government has no shame." The rally was, however, boycotted by former presidential aspirants: Chiefs Rochas Okorocha, Harry Akande, Nnia Nwodo and Edwin Ume-Ezeoke. Buhari, who made the criticism while flagging off his presidential campaign at the Liberation Stadium also dedicated the campaigns to Dr. Marshall Harry, South-South Presidential co-ordinator of the party who was assassinated Thursday morning in Abuja by unknown assailants. The exercise which was conducted amid tight security mounted by the Nigeria Police in all nooks and crannies of Port Harcourt and its environs, was also attended by the party's presidential running mate, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, the National Chairman, Chief Don Etiebet, Chairman Board of Trustees, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu (rtd), presidential campaign co-ordinator of the party, Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, gubernatorial flagbearer of the party for Rivers State, Chief Sergeant Awuse and the family of the slain ANPP chieftain led by his son, Mr Sunny Marshall Harry. All extolled his virtues and chorused that he did not die in vain. Buhari told the mammoth crowd at the Liberation Stadium that despite the brutal killing of Dr Marshall, "the ANPP family had decided to go ahead with the rally because he had done all the arrangements and there is no other better way to honour him than to hold the event ... but that the party will no doubt honour him at the appropriate time." He told the jubilant crowd that the PDP government had failed, in all its promises to the electorate and stressed that "the brutal killing of Dr Marshall as well as many other Nigerians was a clear manifestation that there is no security anywhere in this country, in the towns and in villages." He recalled that since the PDP government came to power, the nation has not known any peace "as the government has no solution," he said adding "there is no peace and harmony either in the country or among government officials themselves." Recalling the discordant tunes amongst the government officials over the ongoing fuel shortage in the country, Buhari noted how one government official attributed it to sabotage, another to the crises in Venezuela which has shot up oil prices and how another had promised Nigerians that the shortage wouldbe over in one week and queried "which one do we believe? ... This shows there is no harmony in this government. What a shame!" While dismissing the PDP government as the one that lacks focus and vision, he recalled that the stupendous amount spent on the turn around maintenance of our electricity plants have not produced any practical results while inflation is on an alarming increase, he said "four years is enough for any serious government to have brought about remarkable improvement in the lives of the citizens of this country." On allegations of religious bigotry and that he called on northerners to boycott the ongoing registration of Nigerians for the national identity card scheme "he said all these are acts of desperation." He explained that he was quoted out of context in Sokoto when he was addressing moslem faithfuls by a journalist "who was not even present and canot understand or speak Hausa language." He called on Nigerians to disregard allegations that he is not a democrat by arguing "if I were not a democratc, I could not have joined a political party to seek election and campaigning here and there and I would not have called for a free and fair elections." National Chairman of the party, Chief Etiebet who had earlier dedicated the rally to the slain ANPP chieftain called for three minutes silence in his honour and added "today is a day that Dr Marshall Harry always dreamt of." Etiebet in a lenghting warm tribute to the slain ANPP leader said his spirit will spur those of them alive to work harder to actualise his dream of winning the Presidency and governorship elections in all states in the coming elections. Son of the slain ANPP leader, Mr Sunny Marshall Harry who read the speech which was prepared by his father before life was snuffed out of him announced "The event we are witnessing today marks the beginning of the end of PDP government in this country." The late politician who extolled the exemplary leadership qualities of Buhari stated "the only thing against Buhari is that he is an upright person who has made transparency, accountability and discipline his everyday life." He stated further "it touches my heart to hear an incapable government asking of continuity ... Continuity of what? Continuity to wtich-hunt perceived opponents or continuity of insecurity?" Sunny who made his personal remarks over the death of his father before reading the prepared speech rhetorically thanked the killers of his father "I thank those who killed my father. He was a regional leader but now he is a national hero ... He was not a Martin Luther King but he had a dream to unite the people of the state ... I may not be a Marshall Harry and would not pray to be him and I am not happy that he is killed but I am proud to be his son." Okadigbo wo electrified the gathering with his theatrics both in speech and action said as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethnic and Communal Crisis, he had visited 23 riot spots and it is only those states that are being ruled by PDP that have crisis. He then queried those that are real trouble makers? Awuse, the Rivers gubernatorial flagbearer warned that whoever rigs the coming general elections is inviting chaos and instability. Those who witness the rally include former Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Victor Malu, Jerry Useni, Senators Gbenga Aluko, Rowland Owie, Daniel Saror, Khairat Abdulrazak, Musa Adede; Paul Unongo, all ANPP incumbent governors and gubernatorial flagbearers in all states. A curious development at the event is the absence of the party's former presidential aspirant who pulled out of the party's national convention at the Eagle Square, Abuja on January 7. The former aspirants: Chiefs Rochas Okorocha, Nnia Nwodo, Edwin Ume-Ezeoke and Harry Akande were quoted as saying that they shunned the Port Harcourt ceremony because the party has not taken any concrete steps at reconciliation. A top ANPP member, who pleaded anonymity, told THISDAY that: "The former presidential aspirants are still not happy with the party. "The ANPP leadership has not made any concrete plans to bring them back to the fold. "They are also bitter because they (former presidential aspirants) feel their views are no longer needed as if they are not running for the presidential elections," he concluded.