NSA’s revelation validates agitations for President’s resignation, PDP declares

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno’s revelation that strange persons, including Chief of Staff (COS) to the President, Abba Kyari, have hijacked powers, has validated agitations for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation.

“Following the NSA’s revelation, the PDP reiterates its earlier position that President Buhari should waste no further time in relinquishing his position as President since it is now obvious that he has become overwhelmed by official duties,” it stated.

It insisted that security and welfare of citizens were the most important element of governance and since President Buhari has relinquished those statutory responsibilities, he has no other reason to remain in office.

A statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, noted, “The NSA’s letter, which is already in public domain, further reveals that Nigeria has been on autopilot under President Buhari, whose abdication of serious state matters is directly responsible for the sufferings, anguish, pain and escalating insecurity in the country.”

It described Monguno’s revelation as “a national tragedy, which showcases the fact that the President has become so irredeemably overwhelmed to the extent that the responsibilities of his office, including presiding over sensitive security matters, have now been taken over by Kyari, who functions as a defacto President.

“Nigerians should note the NSA’s verdict in support of PDP’s position, affirmed that such situation is responsible for government’s failure to defend Nigerians and find solution to the worsening insecurity under President Buhari’s watch.”

Monguno had in a memo on Monday charged all service chiefs to desist from taking orders from Kyari and accused Kyari of undue interference on matters of national security.

Monguno in the letter said Kyari’s directives to service chiefs were sometimes issued without the knowledge, much less approval of the President, a practice he said, has added to government’s failure to contain insecurity in the country.

“Chief of Staff to the president is not a presiding head of security, neither did he swore to an oath of defending the country,” Monguno, a retired Major General, said in the December 9, 2019 letter.

“As such, presiding over meetings with service chiefs and heads of security organisations, as well as ambassadors and high commissioners to the exclusion of the NSA or supervising ministers are a violation of the Constitution and directly undermines Mr. President’s authority.

“Such acts and continued meddlesomeness by Kyari have not only ruptured our security and defence efforts, but have slowed down any meaningful gain that Mr. President has sought to achieve,” Mungonu added.

He stressed that it was detrimental to the nation’s security that the Chief of Staff, a non-supervising minister should be holding meetings with diplomats, security chiefs and heads of agencies.