by Lekan Olanrewaju

It’s near-impossible to have missed the recent stir caused by General Andrew Azazi. Azazi, who is Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, at the Second South South Economic Summit in Asaba, Delta State, on Friday, blamed the PDP for the activities of the Boko Haram sect, stating that it was a result of the zoning and power sharing arrangement of the party.

Since he made the remarks, he has been under fire from people like the former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, who suggested Azazi resign, and also former Kaduna State governor, Balarabe Musa.

“The remark credited to the NSA, Gen. Azazi, that the PDP was responsible for the insurgence of Boko Haram through their zoning arrangement could be true based on intelligence available to him, but the public utterance by the NSA is irresponsibly faulty,” said Tsav, in a text message to Vanguard. “The only honourable option left for him is to throw in the towel and resign. He has no business in government. He even appears not interested or dedicated to his job.”

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, however praised Azazi for displaying “uncommon courage”

“We have no doubt that General Azazi, must have closely observed how since inception PDP had manipulated its primary elections and indeed general elections, alienated its members and a critical segment of the polity, contrary to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” the CNPP said, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu.

The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, also praised his statement, saying he should be “applauded” for it, while adding that there was nothing surprising about his remarks.

“We have said it several times that the PDP and the government it controls at the centre are clueless, confused and totally incapable of piloting the affairs of this nation. Is there any better evidence of this cluelessness than what Nigerians are witnessing now?” said the party in a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed.

“It does not matter how much the President tries to engage in damage control over the statement credited to his NSA, or the ever-so knee-jerk and poorly thought out reaction of the sinking behemoth called the PDP, the reality is that the NSA’s shocking comments reflect the thinking in the highest echelon of the Jonathan administration, that the crooked politics of the PDP is behind the Boko Haram crisis, and that it has escalated because a son of the South-South is sitting in Aso Rock.”