Asari Dokubo – Northern leaders demand his arrest

Provoked by the recent comments of Former Niger Delta militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dukubo, over his statement that the region would take up arms again if President Jonathan is not re-elected in 2015, leaders from the north have called on the Inspector General of Police for the former's immediate arrest.

Among those who made the call was former Presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) and immediate past Chairman of the Elders Committee of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who said "He (Dokubo) is neither doing Jonathan any good nor his people. A democracy by threat of war is not only unacceptable, but utterly foolish."

On his path, former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, asked Asari- Dokubo to keep his mouth shut. Alhaji Tsav, who spoke in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, reminded Asari- Dokubo and his cohorts that nobody, has the monopoly of violence.

He asked them not to take Nigerians for granted in their threat to perpetrate violence if Jonathan's reelection bid failed. But the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in 19 Northern states and Abuja sued for peace and national stability.

Former Chairman of Old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said the threat was in itself a clear pointer that Nigeria is headed for another civil war if precautions are not taken to avoid same happening.

Musa said: "The threat in the build-up to the 2015 general elections clearly shows that Nigeria is heading for another civil war. But I want to advise fellow Nigerians to be careful and watch their utterances so that peace will reign.

"Nigerians experienced Biafra war and the wounds are not yet healed. Asari- Dokubo has lost relevance and is trying to launch himself as one of Jonathan's defender. "We know Asari Dokubo of being inconsistent just to get money from President Jonathan since he came into power. I should advise Nigerians not to take his recent threat serious, but to take it for the sake of our unity.

"No section of Nigeria will take arms against this country. Asari-Dokubo should go back and read the history of Nigeria. Nobody should deceive him." Former Presidential Adviser, Tanko Yakasai, also condemned the comment, saying: "By that immature statement coupled with the drama in court during his trial when he was rude to the presiding judge, Asari- Dokubo demonstrated that it will take a very long time for him to learn to be a democrat.

"I wish he could understand that in a democratic contest, reasoning and persuasion are the normal instruments deployed to win political power, not terrorism. I wish someone will be able to educate Asari that politics is a game of number."