Shettima begs residents as Jonathan campaigns in Borno

Shettima begs residents as Jonathan campaigns in Borno

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As President Goodluck Jonathan visits Maiduguri today, the governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has made a strong appeal to his supporters and all citizens of the state not to show disrespect to the President and his entourage during the campaign visit.

Shettima made the call in a statement by his media aide, Mallam Isa
Gusau.

The governor said the call became necessary because of recent
incidents in Bauchi and Katsina states during which irate youths
reportedly went wild, pelting the President’s convoy with various
objects.

He described the act as disrespectful, show of intolerance and
extremely bad politics.

“From what I have read or heard in the media, so far, there has not
been any issue of such in any APC-controlled states visited by the
President and Borno should not be an exception. We have political
differences and our differences are legitimate and based on the
principles of our political parties and what we stand for.

“But we must remember that His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, GCFR, is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
and as citizens of this country, we have an obligation to respect his
office and his person.

“Our millions of citizens, who support the APC in Borno State and our
presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, and anyone that
supports me or any of our National and State Assembly candidates in
the state, should shun any act of violence, intolerance and unlawful
political behaviour before, during and after the President’s visit and
should remain law abiding citizens of Borno State as our laws, norms
and values demand,” he said.

It could be recalled that Jonathan’s campaign convoy in Katsina and
Bauchi states.

Today’s visit will be the second time the president will be making a
trip to Maiduguri in two weeks, the first being a visit to soldiers who
are battling terrorists in the state in commemoration of the Armed
Forces Remembrance Day.

The inability of the Jonathan administration to arrest the Boko Haram
insurgency has become a campaign issue of the presidential
candidates of two major political parties – Muhammadu Buhari of the
All Progressives Congress and Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic
Party.

Jonathan will be expected to make the issue of the Boko Haram
menace one of the issues he will be touching on while in Maiduguri, as
the people of the town will want to know what the President plans to
do to stop the reign of the Boko Haram insurgents.