A standoff between the leaders of the north and of the middle belt appears on the offing to further threaten the already fragile national polity. Information available to 247ureports.com indicates that the Middle Belt Youth Forum warned Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, Prof. Ango Abdullahi to desist from labeling the Senate President, General David Mark a fool.
The Senate President while at the senate retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State had charged the leaders of Northern Nigeria to curb the excess antics on the dreaded Islamic terrorist group, the Boko Haram – that is living and unleashing terror in the north. Some of the northern leaders did not fancy the comments – and were not shy about letting their thoughts out in public over their take on the public comments of the Senate President. In particular, some of the leaders labeled the number three citizen of the nation “a fool”.
The middle belt forum, representing the leadership of the middle belt responded to what it termed a diatribe on the part of northern leaders. The forum stated that it was unfortunate, unjustified and disrespectful against the person and office of the Senate President, Sen. David Mark for some prominent northern leaders to make such comments. Specifically, they stated that Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, Prof. Ango Abdullahi and Shehu Sani exhibited “intolerance and Lack of respect and disregard” for the office of the Senate President.
In a public statement signed by the National Leader of the Forum, Hon. Jonathan Asake, it stated that Yakasai has lost all his sense of decorum for referring to the senate president as ‘a fool’.
The statement continued that “This is unacceptable, the likes of Yakasai, instead of taking time to soberly ponder and reflect on the dispassionate, patriotic and courageous remarks made by the senate president which found National approval and commendation, they instead preferred to let sentiments and emotions to eclipse their sense of reasoning. We take exception to these insults on a National figure such as the senate president. The Middle Belt youth forum hereby completely aligns itself with the observations and comments made by the senate president during the senate retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state. There is no doubt that many of the Northern leaders have continued to pretend and played the proverbial ostrich while the bombings by Boko Haram with impunity, of innocent and defenseless people especially of Christians in their Churches continued”.
The forum went on to explain that the uncouth comments from Yakasai and other northern leaders were a clear indications to complicity either directly or indirectly, or an endorsement of the activities of the Boko Haram against the sovereignty of Nigeria and the Jonathan’s presidency.
