The nation’s service chiefs yesterday met with out-going President Goodluck Jonathan, a day after he lost his re-election bid to opposition party, All Progressives Congress, APC’s candidate, Gen.Muhammadu Buhari.
The service chiefs who were led to a closed-door session with the president by the National Security Adviser, Col.Sambo Dasuki (retd.) included the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu.
The military brass declined any comments to journalists at the end of the parley that lasted about an hour. After the meeting, the officers also consulted briefly with Dasuki at the forecourt of the president’s office before they left. Details of discussion were not available.
The security chiefs last met with Jonathan on March 17 when they briefed him of their preparation for the general election and the successes recorded in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents in the north eastern part of the country.
In another development, former Niger-Delta militant, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, has said he and his ex-militants may be compelled to return to the Niger-Delta creeks with Jonathan’s defeat.
Asari-Dokubo, who hails from the same Ijaw ethnic nationality as Jonathan lamented the voting pattern in the last presidential election, saying it showed that the South-West and the North ganged up again the South-South and South-East geo-political zone.
A statement by his spokesman, Rex Anighoro, yesterday, quoted Dokubo as saying it was unfair that the minorities were being emasculated.
by the majority ethnic groups, expressed fears that the government of the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, would be vicious.
The ex-militant, who had in January said he and his colleagues would wreak havoc if Jonathan lost, praised the President for being a true statesman. He said it was the struggle of the militants that led to the Jonathan presidency.
Asari-Dokubo said since the South-South had lost the presidency, ex-militants would meet to decide the next line of action.
“The conditions that advanced the need to embrace the creeks have been sadly re-energised, it is clear that a vicious government who may maim and murder the voice of the so called minorities may have just been birthed.
“Indeed integration is non-existent as regional gang ups and supremacy is symbolic with this victory. While President Jonathan enjoys his moments and basks in the euphoria of a now world renowned statesman having congratulated Muhammadu Buhari, we must quickly be reminded that our struggle was never about Jonathan or about the presidency.
“President Jonathan was a beneficiary of our struggle, our sweat and blood that many bled and died for, he was never in the struggle and he can never wish away our collective march forward for statesmanship.
“Yes indeed to an extent he was a mitigating factor in self-determination pursuit as we went on sabbatical, this mitigation he seems to have willingly repudiated. The days coming will be critical, we shall study all the conditions and consult widely before determining the way going forward for our collective existence and survival as a people. The days coming shall either drive the quest of integration or further separate us,” he said.
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