By Nse Anthony-Uko,
ABUJA, (Sundiata Post) – A Civil Society Organisation, Opinion Nigeria has called for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari and subsequent confirmation of the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo as substantive president of the country.
Jeff Okoroafor, President, Opinion Nigeria, in a letter on Friday, said that contrary to the general assumption that there is no vacuum created because the President appointed his vice to act in his absence, there are so many pending issues on the desk of Mr President awaiting his return.
He also noted that going by the letter to the Senate On February 7th 2017, from President Buhari’s, seeking extension of his annual vacation in the United Kingdom there is no specific date of his expected return.
“This scenario has left the Vice President in an acting capacity for too long, at a time when the country is in dire need of affirmative actions to put things in the right perspective for the year.”
“We cannot be operating in secrecy at the presidential level expecting the information hungry Nigerians to keep mute. We have the right to know what is happening and we are committed to a functional and operational Nigeria which is not halted for any political gains or satisfaction.
“Based on this, we call for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari quoting his health as the reason to fully function as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, followed swiftly with the immediate confirmation of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as a substantive President of the country.
Giving a background, Okoroafor noted that President Buhari’s trip to the United Kingdom came to Nigerians too sudden to bewilder Nigerians’ imagination concerning the state of affairs of the country for the New Year.
According to him, the statement by his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina saying that the President is “on a short leave which is part of his annual vacation” on the 19th of January 2017, was the beginning of an unending tale, as still unfolding till date.
“As the days on vacation recede, Nigerians yearn insistently to know the circumstances surrounding the president’s seemingly emergency exit from the country. It is important to put on record that this so-called all important vacation was coming at a point when the country’s economy was demanding the innovation or yet still budgetary intervention to ameliorate the sufferings of many Nigerians.”
Quoting an excerpt from the Vanguard publication of January 19th, 2017, Okoroafor said, “Vanguard had observed that the President had since the week had been performing the functions of his office mostly at his official residence located within the precinct of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, rarely spending dutiful hours in the office”.
He maintained that the social media in Nigeria within period has been awash with stories competing for public attention about the reason behind the trip. The stories expanded with time with the climax asserting the death of President Buhari over failure to respond to treatments from the medical team in some unnamed hospital in the UK.
The presidency so far has come up with conflicting versions of comments to diffuse the tension but their words further raised the suspicion of most Nigerians who requested that the president relay a video to Nigerians assuring them that he was hale and hearty but, he never succumbed.
“We hope that this petition will reach deserving authorities in good faith, understanding that the urgency of this request is born out of the desire to salvage the country from total collapse. We pray and urge that this letter will be treated without prejudice or sentiment from whatever sphere of reasoning,” Okoroafor said.