- Remarks Disrespectful, Says BMO
By ‘Dotun Akintomide
The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has reacted to the recent statement credited to U.S President, Donald Trump where he reportedly described Muhammadu Buhari as a ‘lifeless’ president, a revelation that is coming as Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta is currently in Washington D. C for an official state visit.
According to Financial Times in an article published Monday, Trump used the word “so lifeless” to describe his Nigerian counterpart, Buhari shortly after a meeting between the two leaders on April 30.
In the article titled ‘Africa looks for something new out of Trump,’ it was stated that Trump warned his aides that he never wanted to meet someone ‘so lifeless’ again.
“The first meeting with Nigeria’s ailing 75-year-old Muhammadu Buhari in April ended with the US president telling aides he never wanted to meet someone so lifeless again, according to three people familiar with the matter,” Financial Times claimed.
Reacting to the statement, CUPP said Trump’s statement was a clear indication that Nigeria was running on autopilot under the current leadership.
Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, spokesman of the collation in a statement on Monday, said CUPP will lead Nigerians to stop Buhari’s continued reign of incompetence and impunity in 2019.
He said, “The verdict of the President of the United States of America Mr. Donald Trump published in Financial Times describing President Muhammadu Buhari as a lifeless leader who does not understand the issues of governance is another affirmation of the widely held beliefs that Nigeria is running on autopilot and in danger of being thrown off the cliff by the crass incompetence of Mr. President.
“In a Statement by the 1st National Spokesman of CUPP, Ikenga IMO Ugochinyere the Coalition called the verdict of Mr. Trump the last awakening call for Nigerians to go and collect their PVC’s to enable them perform the patriotic duty of electing a President in 2019 who understands what the issues are.
The statement continues “If President Trump took only one meeting to identify the huge problem we have been harping upon, then the world needs to pity Nigerians who have been bearing with a “lifeless” President for over three years”.
“Nigeria today is worse on economic indices than we were in 2015 and the national cohesion and peace accentuated by the seamless concession of victory by former president Goodluck Jonathan has been lost on the altar of nepotism, cronyism and ethnic supremacy being exhibited by President Buhari.
“The fabrics of our nationhood has been eroded by the myopic and divisive views of the President.
“Nigerians are once again reminded that Mr. Trump is a septugenarian and was by no means referring to President Buhari’s age.
“He must have correctly referred to Mr. Buhari’s intellectual incapacity and his legendary incompetence in national and international issues. This revelation from Mr. Trump coming just a couple of days after President Buhari’s faux pas of subjecting the rule of law to the rule of man emphasises exactly the view points of President Buhari. Indeed Nigeria has returned to the dark ages where life is short and brutish.”
Meanwhile, Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described Trump’s remarks on President Buhari as disrespectful.
BMO made this assertion in response to the report by the Financial Times that the American President had made disrespectful comments imputing ill health on President Buhari.
The group’s Chairman, Mr. Niyi Akinsiju noted that this was not the first time the US President was heard to make such derogatory remarks at World leaders, and thus President Buhari would not be distracted by such.
“We are aware that President Trump’s disrespect for World Leaders is not new; his comments on Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, calling him ‘meek and mild’; his reference to Germany’s Leader, Angela Merkel’s actions as ‘insane’, or his outlandish Tweet at the UK’s Theresa May, and more recently, the alleged remarks he made after meeting President Buhari.”
“It is indeed not the first time President Trump would be heard to lower the standards of respect for his colleagues on the World Stage.
“We are not surprised, we know that this age-long character of the US President would not change anytime soon. But it is important that we put it on record that President Buhari remains fit and sprightly, even for the next decade.”
“We recall that during President Buhari’s visit to Trump in the White House, the US President commended the successes that the Buhari administration had recorded especially in the fight against insurgency and the war on corruption.
“The US President was full of admiration for Nigeria’s President during the visit, thus such outlandish remarks as reported by the Financial Times are not just to be taken with a pinch of salt but are untrue in themselves.”
