Shettima was the incumbent governor when the terrorists attacked Chibok at night in April 2014 and whisked away 276 students, mostly Christian female students.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called out Senator Kashim Shettima, the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Party, saying security of the country cannot be left in his hands.
Recall that Shettima was the incumbent governor when the terrorists attacked Chibok at night in April 2014 and whisked away 276 students, mostly Christian female students.
PDP on Sunday flashed back to the event in reaction to Shettima’s speech at the just-concluded National Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), where he said his principal, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu will handle Nigeria’s economy while he (Shettima) will take care of the nation’s security.
Making reference to the statement while appearing on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme on Sunday, PDP Head of Digital, Anthony Ehilebo said owing to the antecedents, Nigeria cannot let Shettima be in charge of its security.
Shettima who is the running mate to the APC presidential flag-bearer spoke confidently about tackling the nation’s security challenges at the NBA.
Ehilebo, however, said, “How come you come to the NBA programme and announce on live TV that you will take care of security and your principal will handle the economy?
“Section 130(2) of the 1999 Constitution specifies that it is the role of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. And if he decides to delegate the power, it must be to the armed forces. But here we have a VP candidate telling the world he wants to be in charge of our security.
“This is the same man in charge when the issue of Chibok Girls happened. Shettima ignored the directive to move the students and the terrorists took advantage.”
Digging further into the past, Ehilebo recalled that a suspected terrorist, Kabiru Sokoto, was arrested years ago in the Borno State Governor’s Lodge by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
He said: “Today, we have not been able to dissociate him from all that. Unfortunately, Nigerians are more interested in his sneakers and what he wore to the NBA than his statement.”
However, in his defence of Shettima on the same programme, a political economist and member of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Ayo Oyalowo said Shettima’s speech was blown out of context.