CANCELLED ZAMFARA VISIT: Presidency hits PDP for suggesting President Buhari should have travelled by road

*Such suggestion smacks of mischief – Garba Shehu

*Warns, ‘There must be a limit to trivialisation’

*Says Buhari will be back in Gusau to accomplish his mission

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

The Presidency of Nigeria has described as one that smacks of mischief, opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s suggestion that President Muhammadu Buhari should have travelled by the 200 kilometres road from Sokoto to Gusau, Zamfara State capital, instead of cancelling his last Thursday official visit to the North West state.

The DEFENDER reports that President Buhari had on Thursday cancelled his trip to Zamfara due weather related issues and, on return to Abuja, send a recorded twin video and radio broadcast to the people of the state.

Following the cancellation, announced to distinguished dignitaries waiting for the president’s arrival by Governor Mohammed Bello Matawalle, as reported by our Correspondent, the state All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau, had thanked the overwhelming crowd of supporters for their massive turn out to receive the President while promising to to keep them posted when the rescheduled visit would be.

On Sunday, Alhaji Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, who gave further clarification on the development in response to PDP’s insinuation, said the cancellation was not political.

He said the sudden deterioration of the weather was the sole and only reason for the cancellation of the visit.

Shehu, however, lashed out at the PDP for saying the President should have traveled by road.

The statement read, “The Presidency wishes to give further clarification on the circumstances of bad weather which forced the cancellation of the visit to Zamfara State on Thursday of President Muhammadu Buhari in spite of the great interest generated nationwide on the planned visit.

“As briefly explained by the President in a special broadcast to the people of the state, the sudden deterioration of the weather was the sole and only reason for the cancellation of the visit.

“It is not unusual for flights to get cancelled when there is bad weather, whether this is arising from wind or rainstorm, fog or haze as we had it on Thursday over much of the northern towns including Gusau, capital of Zamfara State. Many of these cities are known to suffer from low visibility during the harmattan season as we are now in.

“A kilometre of visibility is usually a standard landing minimum requirement but in the case of Gusau on the day in question, this minimum requirement of 1,000 meter was down, fluctuating between 300-400 meters. Clearly, this was unsafe in the absence of precise instrument approaches that provide guidance for the pilots. The flights into Gusau were, in view of this, cancelled.

“Criticism of the President, in particular the one by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for not proceeding with the journey, Sokoto-Gusau by road, a distance of about 200 kilometres shows, either a lack of understanding of presidential movements especially for a party that held that office for sixteen years, or an act that smacks of mischief. Whatever be the case, there must be a limit to trivialization.

“All over the world, Commanders-in-Chief, serving or even those that have left office cannot hop into a car and go anywhere they want, at any time of the day. In the United States for instance, a law going as far back as 1958 prevents past Presidents from traveling on public roads without assured security (how much more of serving Presidents).

“When roads are closed for presidential movements here and elsewhere, consideration is also given to the safety of other road users, not just that of the President or even Governor.

“The statement on the issue by the PDP attacking the President for not making it to Gusau without this being planned ahead of the journey is shameful and disgraceful for a party that held the presidency of the country in the past. What is their own record?

“It is sad for the country that the bankruptcy of issues has forced the PDP, so-called leading opposition party, to hang on to life by only telling lies. And their caravan of falsehood has moved even more speedily following the inauguration of their not-so-new national executive at the end of last year.

“It is equally important that local political actors who have seized upon the cancellation of the visit to describe it as a victory for this or that faction of the party, accompanied by songs, lyrics and videos to know that their joy is a short-lived one. As he promised in that broadcast, the visit to Gusau by the President is only a matter of time.

“Given the right conditions of the weather and all other things, he will return, and in time to accomplish his mission.”