Some Nigerians have slammed the former vice president Atiku Abubakar over his position on restructuring and calls for a national conference.
Atiku on Saturday urged the 17 Southern governors engaged in the ‘Asaba Declaration’ to convene a national conference should President Muhammadu Buhari refuse to heed to their demands.
“What our present challenges, therefore, call for is not fragmentation but concentration,” Atiku tweeted. “We must concentrate and focus our national willpower and resolve towards fighting these unNigerian tendencies.
“I call on Nigerian Governors to stop waiting on Abuja to make changes, and instead convene a National Unity Summit of all Nigerian Governors to iron out the thorny issues affecting the destiny of our nation until they figure out a way to resolve them.”
The Southern governors announced a ban on open grazing in all the 17 Southern states. They recommended that the Federal Government should support willing states to develop alternative and modern livestock management systems.
They also called on Buhari to address Nigerians on the frightening state of insecurity across the nation and convoke a national dialogue.
The governors, who were united by their resolve to make Nigeria work, did not betray partisan sentiments but agreed among other issues that the President address Nigerians to restore the people’s confidence.
Although Atiku, Nigeria’s vice president from 1999 to 2007, said he understood the reasons for the governors’ decisions, he warned them not to “clap with one hand”.
“Governors representing some states have met. And I completely understand the necessity of their meeting and the wisdom of their decisions. But no matter how much you try to clap with one hand, the vibrations will not be the same as when you clap with two hands,” Atiku said.
However, Nigerians on Twitter disagree with the former vice president.
When Nigerians asked Pantami to resign over extremist views, Atiku was mia, when Gumi was speaking up & down for bandits, Atiku was mute, now that Southern governors says they’re banning open grazing to end farmers-herders crisis in their region, Atiku is doing thread on unity.
— UNCLE AJ (@UNCLE_AJALA) May 17, 2021
