FLASHBACK: Buhari and wife, Tinubu, El-Rufai call for former president Jonathan to resign

• In support Aisha Buhari ask former president Goodluck Jonathan to resign in 2014
• Tinubu asks Jonathan to Resign in 2015
• Nothing wrong in asking President to resign – El-Rufai to Jonathan in 2012

The Nigerians president Mohammadu Buhari, had in May 2013, asked Jonathan to vacate office for “failing” to tackle insecurity across the country.

Buhari made the call in Daura, Katsina state, while addressing journalists at his residence, He said: “Jonathan should vacate and give way to competent hand to govern the country.” He said: “Jonathan should vacate and give way to competent hand to govern the country.”

According to him, the then president failed to perform his primary function of securing Nigerians.

He had said: “When the Niger Delta militants started their activities in the south-south, they were invited by the late President Umaru Yar’adua. An aircraft was sent to them and their leaders met with the late president in Aso Rock and discussed issues. They were given money and a training scheme was introduced for their members. But when the Boko Haram emerged in the north, members of the sect were killed. 

“And when the police failed to address the insurgency, soldiers were invited and they captured the Boko Haram leader, Muhammad Yusuf alive and handed him over to police. But Yusuf was eventually killed, his in-law too was killed and their houses were demolished.

“In Bama and Baga towns, military personnel were reported to have been engaged in extortion and sometimes raping of women. And because a soldier was killed in Baga the whole town was sacked by the military. This is not the best way the military should have acted when they were sent to restore law and order in a town. How can a responsible government allow its people to be killed in this way.

“The soldiers are not expected to go and sack a town because one of them is killed. They are expected to capture the culprits for prosecution. After all the soldiers are not meant to tackle internal crisis but when it is necessary they should act professionally. Whoever is sent to protect people should also protect their integrity.”

In support Aisha Buhari ask former president Goodluck Jonathan to resign;

The Wife of former Military Head of State, Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), Hajiya Aisha Buhari, Thursday condemned the assassination attempt on her husband in Kaduna last week.

According to DAILYPOST, She, therefore, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to resign from office, saying it was high time he did so.

In a terse statement made available to media houses, Asiya Buhari advised the President to follow the example of former South Korean Prime Minister, Jung Hong-won who resigned over his government’s handling of the ferry accident which left more than 300 people dead.

“As he saw grieving families suffering with the pain of losing their loved ones and the sadness and resentment of the public, he took responsibility as prime Minister; he apologised to his country and resigned because of service to humanity,” she said.

“Jonathan should emulate such a leader, because Nigerians have been dying daily, for the four years, hoping that government is going to do something, but we are tired of this insecurity and increased attacks on innocent people.

“Where is Jonathan? What is he doing? If action is not taken now, when? It is not enough to verbally condemn; action is long overdue,” Asiya concluded.

Tinubu asks Jonathan to Resign

Meanwhile, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday said;

According to The Nation President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration lacks the wherewithal to tackle the country’s security challenges.

The former Lagos State governor therefore asked Jonathan to resign as Nigerian president.

The APC chieftain spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State, during the formal declaration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed’sbid for second term in office.

The event was attended by former head of state and APC’s presidential aspirant, Muhammadu Buhari, former vice Abubakar Atiku and governors of Imo, Rivers, Kano, Sokoto and Edo States.

Also, in attendance were – the Speaker of House of Representative, Aminu Tambuwal, Senator Bukola Saraki, former governors of Kwara and Ekiti States, Alhaji Shaaba Lafiagi and Dr. Kayode Fayemi, APC’s spokesperson, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, member, Board of Trustees of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje and Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Razak Atunwa.

Tinubu said, “I saw the sea of refuges caused by the Boko Haram insurgents and the lies coming from Jonathan’s administration. They have exhibited failure, lack of capacity, vision and creativity. The lies of yesterday are what they repeat today and are what they will repeat tomorrow. They are lying to you.

“They are lying about the security, toying about the security of this country. I don’t have time to explain the logic of their lies.

“But if you control the armed forces and you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic, why should any part of this country be under occupation? And you give us excuses every day. In any civilized country Jonathan should have resigned. But if he will not resign, he should wait for our broom, we will sweep him away. I will come back.

“This is just the endorsement of Governor Ahmed, that he will be re-elected by the grace of God with the support of you people here and those outside there. The unemployment situation will be conquered by this administration of APC. We have the vision for the security of the lives of our children.

“The thieves that daily steal your money has not given you any job, they cannot create jobs and they are starving states of funds to pay workers’ salaries. The best thing to do is to sweep them away through broom revolution. APC is a party of the masses.

“It now behooves on you to begin a house to house campaign that this is a party of the masses.”

Nothing wrong in asking President to resign – El-Rufai to Jonathan in 2012

El-Rufai, now the Kaduna State Governor, had on July 23, 2012, supported the call for Jonathan’s resignation, suggesting that the then President was useless to the people of Nigeria.

The tweet resurfacing may not be unconnected to a similar call made by Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who yesterday, demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari resigned his position if he can no longer protect Nigerians.

El-Rufai had said, ”Nothing wrong with asking a president to resign, even presidents that are useful to their people get asked to.”

The tweet, which has stirred diverse reactions is coming amidst backlash, Abaribe’s outburst on the floor of the Senate.

The Abia-born politician also noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has failed Nigerians.

Abaribe made the call during his contribution to a motion sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, on national security, said the nation’s leader and his government have been lying to Nigerians that Boko Haram has been defeated.

He said: “Those who live on propaganda shall die by propaganda. Defeat is staring us in the face.

“Nigerians did not elect the Chief of Staff, Nigerians did not elect heads of Security, Nigerians elected President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and in 2019.

“As it is, we are facing the head of the Nigerian government and this is President Buhari. He should resign with immediate effect.”

Reacting, Buhari, through his spokesman, Garba Shehu, declared that he won’t throw in the towel just because some characters think that he should resign.

He said, “That call does not represent the opinion of the country. This is the opinion of an armchair critic, known for making stray comments.

“If a leader like President Buhari needs to resign, there are millions of other Nigerians who need to resign, including Senator Abaribe who unlocked the door to enable the escape of traitorous and treasonable suspects.

“He signed the bond for the court to release Nnamdi Kanu on bail, from which moment the suspect disappeared into the thin air.

“Senator Abaribe has failed repeated deadlines to return Kanu to the court for trial, yet he has the effrontery with which to accuse someone of failing to the bidding of the law.

“This is a man who should have replaced the suspects he failed to produce in the correctional facility.

“Abaribe’s party raped the nation and left it collapsing in 2015 and President Buhari is fixing things up all the years he is in office.

“President Buhari is working hard to keep Nigeria and Nigerians out of the harm terrorists have unleashed in the entire Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa with the support of Nigerians and our foreign friends, he is going to finish off these terrorists. He alone can do it.”