Don’t attack Jonathan, Shettima urges Borno citizens

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State and All Progressives
Congress, APC, governorship candidate in next month’s
election, has made a strong appeal to his supporters and all
the people of the state not to show “any form of disrespect “
to the person of President Goodluck Jonathan and his
entourage.
Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are
scheduled to hold the party’s Presidential and Governorship
campaign in Maiduguri today, (Saturday), barely one week
after the President had sneaked into the city, for an un-
scheduled visit.
The governor made the call in a statement he personally
signed in Maiduguri on Friday, a copy of which was made
available to Saturday Sun.
Saturday Sun gathered that the governor’s call may have been
informed by recent happenings in the north, where irate
youths were reported to have attacked the President’s convoy,
in Katsina and Bauchi States, all of which are incidentally
controlled by the PDP.
Describing the act, as “disrespectful,” and show of “in­
tolerance and extreme bad politics,” Shettima further said:
“From what I have read or heard in the media, so far, there
has not been any issue of such in any APC controlled States
visited by the President and Borno should not be an
exception.
“We have political differences and our differences are
legitimate and based on the principles of our political parties
and what we stand for. But we must remember that His
Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, is the
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as citizens of
this country, we have an obligation to respect his office and
his person. Our millions of citizens who support the APC in
Borno State and our Presidential candidate, General
Muhammadu Buhari and anyone that supports me or any of
our National and State Assembly candidates in the State,
should shun any act of violence, intolerance and unlawful
political behavior before, during and after the President’s visit
and should remain law abiding citizens of Borno State as our
laws, norms and values demand.
“Disrespecting the President’s convoy will not help the APC
and General Buhari in any way, rather, it will provide ample
basis for his and our political opponents to blackmail him and
the APC. Any true admirer of Buhari should translate his or
her admiration to massive support for him when he visits
Maiduguri to launch his Presidential campaign at a date that
will soon be made public. Buhari is not coming on Saturday
(tomorrow) as earlier planned due to some adjustments made
to make his activities more successful. Supporters of Buhari
and the APC should not be involved in violence but should
rather ensure they all obtain and secure their Permanent
Voters Card to cast votes for him and all candidates of the
APC during the forthcoming general elections.
“President Jonathan is expected in Maiduguri to flag off his
Presidential campaign in Borno State, I call on all APC
supporters and those of Buhari never to show any act of
disrespect to the President and members of his entourage.
Anyone who supports the PDP and the President’s re-election
bid should freely support him in exercise of his or rights. Any­
one who doesn’t share the PDP’s ideology and that of the
President has the option of minding his or her business
without any compulsion and this is legitimate but there must
be no acts of intolerance. It is the right of every Nigerian to
associate with any of the registered political parties in this
country. It is the right of every Nigerian to support any
candidate of his or her convictions. Our rights as associates
of any party end where the rights of our opponents begin and
theirs end where ours begin.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on supporters of all
political parties in Borno State to abide by the principles of
‘politics without bitterness’ which we are being known for in
Borno over the years.”