…As France ready to strike Syria if chemical arms used in Idlib – Reports***
Twenty four hours after Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, replied his predecessor, Atiku Abubakar’s stance on restructuring of Nigeria, the Presidency has also reacted to his (Atiku’s) comment where he described President Muhammadu Buhari as “power drunk.”
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement, although agreed with Atiku that Buhari is uncompromising on his stance against corruption, he, however disagreed with him that the president is power drunk and not ready to leave power without a fight.
The presidential spokesman advised Atiku to borrow a leaf from the decorous language employed by Osinbajo, in response to his recent statement on the restructuring debate.
“That is the hallmark of statesmen and not crying wolf where none exists, which is what the allegation of being uncompromising and power drunk truly is.”
“Rather than use the name of President Buhari to buoy his bid to get the presidential ticket of a party, whose flag has been flying at half-mast since it got roundly trounced at the polls in 2015, the former vice president needs be told that the president is truly uncompromising, but only when it comes to looting the common patrimony of Nigerians, and squandering their riches. President Buhari is uncompromising in the quest to restore probity and accountability to public office. He is uncompromising in cleaning the rot Nigeria was consigned into, pre-2015; thus the war against corruption is being fought without fear or favour.
“The president is equally resolute in the determination to ensure that Nigeria is no longer a mono-economy, depending only on oil.
“Yes, president Buhari is single-minded in effecting change in every area of the Nigerian life. So, Alhaji Abubakar is right, if that was what he meant by the president being “uncompromising. But power drunk? No! And being a man ‘who will not be ready to leave power without a fight?’ Never!
“Not President Buhari, who has demonstrated in many ways that he is a committed democrat, though also a retired military general. He has no apologies about that. Through a sterling military career, he served Nigeria with his heart and might, before venturing into partisan politics. In many ways, president Buhari has wielded power with decency, and, as a means of serving the people, rather than for personal ends. If there’s one person not intoxicated by power, it is President Buhari, and scores of millions of Nigerians know this…”
In the meantime, France is prepared to carry out airstrikes in Syria again if chemical arms are used in the Syrian province of Idlib, where a large-scale government offensive against militants could take place, an official said.
On April 14, the U.S., the UK and France carried out missile strikes on several targets in Syria in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Duma that reportedly took place on April 7.
Damascus rejected allegations of its involvement in the use of chemical weapons.
Chief of the Defence Staff Francois Lecointre said on Thursday, the Nusra Front terrorist organization (banned in Russia) has joined four other groups in Idlib to form a terrorist alliance called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is widely regarded as the dominant force on the ground in the province.
The Syrian government has pledged to drive the remaining terrorists out of Idlib and has begun taking steps toward full-scale military operations in the territory.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that HTS terrorists are planning a false-flag chemical weapons attack in Idlib in a bid to provoke Western retaliation against the Syrian government.
Additional report from The Citizen
