Opposition Peoples Democratic Party has lampooned President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he acted late in appointing new service chiefs, “after much damage has been done”.
The party also demanded the probe of the four immediate-past service chiefs to unravel the circumstances behind the security lapses during their tenure.
The ex-service chiefs are General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin (Chief of Defence Staff); Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (Chief of Army Staff); Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas (Chief of Naval Staff); and Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff).
“The PDP demands an immediate inquest into the tenure of the last service chiefs to unravel the circumstances behind the security lapses and compromises as well as accusation of involvement in the alleged looting of funds meant for the equipping and welfare of our troops in the front.
“Our party insists that such must be the sure step towards sanitizing the security architecture as well as lifting the morale of those in the front lines risking their lives for the security of our nation,” the party said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, was titled, ‘Appointment of New Service Chiefs Late But……., Says PDP …Demands Probe of Buratai, Others’.
The statement partly read, “The party says the belated replacement of the outgoing wearied service chiefs, after much damage to our nation, shows President Buhari as a leader who has always refused to heed to wise counsel by well-meaning Nigerians but continually leads our country to a dire strait.
“If Mr. President had acted when our party and other well-meaning Nigerians including the two chambers of the National Assembly impressed upon him to do so, the security situation in the country would not have degenerated to this abysmal level.
“We hope President Buhari uses this as a turning point to learn to listen to wise counsel and not always set our nation on the path of destruction before acting.
“Nevertheless, our party expresses hope that the new service chiefs will brace up to the challenges of our nation and note that their appointment at this time, more than at any other point in our national history, demands a huge sense of commitment, responsibility and determination to secure our nation and restore peace, order and national cohesiveness in our polity.
“Our party urges the new service chiefs to take urgent steps to restore professionalism, boost the morale of our troops and ensure not to fall into the indolence, corruption, recklessness, abuse of process and partisanship that characterized the tenure of the last service chiefs.”
The PDP, therefore, charged the new commanders to remove terrorists, bandits and other outlaws ravaging the country nation from its landscape.
