Buhari: Nigeria’s disintegration holds no good, says Umar

Former military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar(retd) on Tuesday said that violent disintegration of Nigeria would do no one any good, noting that the attack on Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd) should not be blamed on the Federal Government.

Umar, reacting to the bomb attack on the former Nigerian leader, appealed to the nation’s political elite to desist from what he described as “politics of brinkmanship” all aimed at achieving their narrow political interests.

“Once again I appeal to our political elites to desist from politics of brinkmanship all aimed at achieving their narrow political interests. They need not be reminded that a violent disintegration of Nigeria would be an ill wind that will blow nobody any good,” the former governor said in a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna.

Umar, while condemning the attack on Buhari, argued that the Federal Government would not have planned to assassinate the APC chief, when at the same time decided to upgrade the security around him(Buhari).

According to him, it would have been so strange for a government that want to assassinate a popular northerner like Buhari “to retain as its National Security Advisor, Colonel M.S.Dasuki, son of the Sultan of Sokoto and his brother-in–law, General Aliyu Gusau as its Minister of Defence, or even its Inspector General of Police, M.D. Abubakar from Zamfara State.”

Umar, who lost his commission due to the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, said: “When on Wednesday 23rd July 2014, some yet to be identified persons attacked the convoy of General Muhammadu Buhari with a car bomb, some of his supporters or his representatives as one of them claimed on BBC radio Hausa service accused the federal government of complicity. This was even before investigations commenced.

“I was concerned and worried by possible dangerous repercussions of such allegations on the peace and unity of the country, which is currently under severe stress. I therefore decided not only to condemn their actions but also to adduce evidence to counter their wrong and preposterous allegations.”