You can’t arrest me – Buhari tells Jonathan

The on-going ‘war’ between presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in the 2011 election, General Mohammadu Buhari and the presidency seems to have a new dimension With the alleged rumour of Jonathan’s plan to arrest the Nigerian former Head of State, General Muhammed Buhari as a result of his threat of violence in 2015 election spreading like wild fire, the former Head of State has dared Jonathan to arrest him now or forever keep his mouth shut. Responding to the several criticisms from Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as a result of his comment on what he envisioned will happen in 2015 if elections were ringed, Buhari said yesterday that only those who are planning to ring elections that will entertain fear on the threat of violence. The Action Congress of Nigeria had also in a statement yesterday criticized the presidency and
PDP for crucifying Buhari for merely warning the government on what may likely befall it if free and fair elections were not conducted in 2015. The Party had stated that the attack on the former Head of State was borne out of the desire of the PDP to return to power through any possible means. Buhari has been under attack since he asserted that the dogs and the baboons would be soaked in blood if what happened in the last election repeats itself. Meanwhile in a swift response, Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati in a statement accused the former leader of being too selfish and sentimental towards his ambition of becoming the president of the country, accusing him of attempting to become “a regional leader who speaks for only a part of Nigeria”. However, in Buhari’s response yesterday through his close political associate, Alhaji Buba Galadima the president was challenged to arrest Buhari now or forever remain quiet over the issue, boasting that not even his master, Obasanjo dared to arrest Buhari. He said: “Let them go and pick him as their mentors are now advising them to. If Obasanjo cannot arrest Buhari, I want Jonathan to do it if he can try it because they are hiring people all over the North to be talking for them because they can pay them money. “They are picking on the General because it is him they are afraid of and because once you take away rigging, they are gone; but they have forgotten that their master, Obasanjo was the first to talk of do or die, do or die means blood, if you don’t do what I want I will kill you, that is what he said. “The issue is very simple, if you are not a thief why should you be afraid if they say whoever steals should be killed? That is why they are afraid.” Galadima said that Buhari was not the first to have noted the existence of three Boko Harams in the country. “General Buhari said he was quoting Prof. Ango Abdullahi who said that there are three Boko Harams, the original one, the one that is now perpetrated by criminals that are now raiding homes and markets and government itself. Was it not Jonathan who said that there are Boko Harams in his government,” Galadima asked yesterday. He further gave a strong defence of General Buhari’s nationalistic spirit saying that Buhari as a soldier fought civil wars that arose from election rigging in the Congo and in Nigeria. “Are you saying that somebody of Buhari’s stature cannot warn those in authority that there is no need for the country to go into this? Why are we mis-reading things? The man should be commended for having the courage to tell those in authrotiy that they should behave well.” “Why are they afraid to publish a white paper because it indicted them as having been responsible for the election violence. I dare them if they are honest people and I dare PDP if they are honest people, let them conduct a free and fair election and let’s see whether they will win one councillor.”