E.E.R: CAN Seeks Removal Of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe Governors

CAN Seeks Removal Of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe Governors

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the weekend called on the Federal Government to declare full-fledged state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States that will lead to the removal of their governors.

According to the northern chapter of the association, representing all the 19 state branches of CAN in the north, the current state of emergency that President Goodluck Jonathan imposed last year, has not achieved its objective because of the retention of the governors.

It therefore sought the removal of Governors Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Kashim Shettima (Borno) and Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe) so they could be replaced by military administrators with a view to restoring enduring peace in the three states that have been the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency.

The northern CAN’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Daniel Babayi, made the suggestion in Minna at the inauguration of the Niger State chapter of the organisation. However, the CAN proposal is at variance with the position of the 1999 Constitution on how to remove an elected governor.

According to Sections 188 and 189 of the constitution, the governor or his deputy can only be removed from office either through impeachment or the grounds of incapacitation. Also, Section 305 of the constitution which outlines the process for declaration of state of emergency in a state is silent on the removal of elected democratic structures, a lacuna former President Olusegun Obasanjo exploited when in declaring state of emergency in Plateau and Ekiti states, he removed the elected governors.

But defending CAN’s proposal, Babayi said: “If the half state of emergency thing is not work-ing because the governors are still in place and they are still the chief security officers of the affected states, the Federal Government should remove all of them and put military administrators there so that when we succeed in the whole thing, the governors should be reinstated back to their seats.

We are not against them, but we want peace to be restored in those places.” He accused the governors of not being sensitive to the peculiar needs of Christians in their states, saying that the northern states chapter of CAN is not happy about that.

“There must be respect for everybody because if we respect their religion, they should also respect our religion too. “I will tell you the truth. You see, when you say Boko Haram, the name means anything about Western education that includes Christianity. So they have a fatwa against Christianity and every Christian is supposed to be a target. But it is not every Muslim that is supposed to be a target.

Only those that are cooperating with Christians and those that are sympathising with Christians or those who are opposing the sect members that should be killed,” he said. He alleged that the terrorists only set ablaze villages when they could not get Christians to kill.

He added that the recent kidnap of students of the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State by the Boko Haram sect members and the general insecurity in the southern part of Borno State were part of the ongoing hatred campaign against Christians.

“We are not happy that the Borno State Government and the rest of the authorities in the state did not do anything much to stop what was going on in the state.

“Even when the WAEC officials told them that it was risky to allow the students to write their final year exams in such an unsafe environment, the state governor said they should go on and conduct the exams and that is not fair,” he stated.

He queried the rationale for appointing Muslims as the principal, the vice principal and chief security officer of the school in Chibok, a town that is predominantly Christians.

“Muslims in Borno State ought to have respect for other people and their religions. Will Muslims tolerate that if Christians are sent to their areas? In fact, they have not been sensitive to the peculiar needs of Christians in their midst and we are not happy about that because there must be respect for everybody,” he added.

New Telegraph.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the weekend called on the Federal Government to declare full-fledged state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States that will lead to the removal of their governors.

According to the northern chapter of the association, representing all the 19 state branches of CAN in the north, the current state of emergency that President Goodluck Jonathan imposed last year, has not achieved its objective because of the retention of the governors.

It therefore sought the removal of Governors Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Kashim Shettima (Borno) and Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe) so they could be replaced by military administrators with a view to restoring enduring peace in the three states that have been the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency.

The northern CAN’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Daniel Babayi, made the suggestion in Minna at the inauguration of the Niger State chapter of the organisation. However, the CAN proposal is at variance with the position of the 1999 Constitution on how to remove an elected governor.

According to Sections 188 and 189 of the constitution, the governor or his deputy can only be removed from office either through impeachment or the grounds of incapacitation. Also, Section 305 of the constitution which outlines the process for declaration of state of emergency in a state is silent on the removal of elected democratic structures, a lacuna former President Olusegun Obasanjo exploited when in declaring state of emergency in Plateau and Ekiti states, he removed the elected governors.

But defending CAN’s proposal, Babayi said: “If the half state of emergency thing is not work-ing because the governors are still in place and they are still the chief security officers of the affected states, the Federal Government should remove all of them and put military administrators there so that when we succeed in the whole thing, the governors should be reinstated back to their seats.

We are not against them, but we want peace to be restored in those places.” He accused the governors of not being sensitive to the peculiar needs of Christians in their states, saying that the northern states chapter of CAN is not happy about that.

“There must be respect for everybody because if we respect their religion, they should also respect our religion too. “I will tell you the truth. You see, when you say Boko Haram, the name means anything about Western education that includes Christianity. So they have a fatwa against Christianity and every Christian is supposed to be a target. But it is not every Muslim that is supposed to be a target.

Only those that are cooperating with Christians and those that are sympathising with Christians or those who are opposing the sect members that should be killed,” he said. He alleged that the terrorists only set ablaze villages when they could not get Christians to kill.

He added that the recent kidnap of students of the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State by the Boko Haram sect members and the general insecurity in the southern part of Borno State were part of the ongoing hatred campaign against Christians.

“We are not happy that the Borno State Government and the rest of the authorities in the state did not do anything much to stop what was going on in the state.

“Even when the WAEC officials told them that it was risky to allow the students to write their final year exams in such an unsafe environment, the state governor said they should go on and conduct the exams and that is not fair,” he stated.

He queried the rationale for appointing Muslims as the principal, the vice principal and chief security officer of the school in Chibok, a town that is predominantly Christians.

“Muslims in Borno State ought to have respect for other people and their religions. Will Muslims tolerate that if Christians are sent to their areas? In fact, they have not been sensitive to the peculiar needs of Christians in their midst and we are not happy about that because there must be respect for everybody,” he added.