……Says, he is a loyalist of ruling party
Following the ongoing controversy surrounding the recent appointment
of the new Director General, Department of State Security Service
(DSSS), a human rights activist and Chairman, Civil Societies
Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State(CSCEO),Comrade
Adeniyi,Alimi Sulaiman has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari to
remove the newly appointed boss of the State Security
Service(SSS),Alahji Lawal Daura, declaring that Daura was loyalist
of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) and President Buhari
as intelligent officer of Buhari’s Presidential campaign organization,
describing the appointment as bias and unacceptable which was not in
line with the spirit of fairness and justice.
Comrade Sulaiman who doubles as Executive Chairman, Centre for Human
Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), also alleged that President Buhari
with the aid of leadership of his political party, All Progressives
Congress (APC) had concluded arrangement to be appointing the strong
members of the ruling party (APC) into the strategic and
professional position in the country, including Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) because of 2018 governorship elections
and 2019 general elections respectively, alleging that, former
controversial Osun State INEC boss and immediate past Oyo State
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ambassador Rufus Akeju would
soon be named as Zonal Commissioner of the Commission, as part of the
effort of the APC leadership,particularly,Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu
to compensate Akeju for job well done for the ruling party during the
last governorship elections in Osun and Oyo States respectively.
Reacting on the controversy surrounding Daura’s appointment as new
Director-General, State Security Service boss, through a statement
issued and signed by Comrade Sulaiman which a copy was made available
to newsmen at the weekend, maintained that Daura would be biased in
discharging of his duties and Daura’s appointment was not in tandem
with the unity and oneness of the country, enjoying Daura to reject
the appointment which the work to do for the ruling party has been
predetermined by those who appointed him.
Rights activist however stated that there was no way Presidency and
the ruling party (APC) could distance Alhaji Daura from being the
strong member of APC and it would affect his sense of action in
discharging of his duties in such strategic position as it might spell
doom for country security outfit because of the fragile political
nature of the nation.
According to CSCEO boss;”Anybody that is seeking equity must come with
clean hands. If we are condemning the previous administrations with
their impunity, the new administration should not follow the same path
so as to avoid being having the same result at the end of the day.
Politicization of such strategic security outfit(SSS) will not augur
well for the country that is battling security challenges across the
country and Alhaji Lawal Daura’s appointment will erode the respected
security agency its needed credibility before the Nigerian people and
General Buhari(rtd) should rescind his decision now by appointing new
person that devoid of political affinity but thorough bred security
expert that will uplift the Department State Security Service to an
enviable height which Nigerians can repose their confidence.
“Buhari should not lay bad precedent in the country because it will be
unhelpful to grow our strategic institutions like State Security
Services (SSS).The Security outfit (DSSS) is a serious and
professional organization that is not to be exposed to the vagaries of
Nigeria politics. No amount of defence from ruling All Progressives
Congress(APC) can distance Alhaji Daura as ruling party member w2ith
heaps of evidences in the media and by extension, in the public. Every
Nigeria believes and accepts that Alhaji Lawal Daura is a member of
the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and he cannot do the
security job professionally without his party (APC) influence. I will
like to recall that during our peaceful emancipation rally in Osun
State recently which APC thugs, popularly known as “State Boys”
disrupted and men of the State Security Service (SSS) were watching
with keen interest to allow the political thugs to have the field day
because the thugs were sent by ruling APC leaders in Osun State where
several retirees were seriously injured”.
While urging President Buhari to rescind his decision on Daura for the
credibility of the State Security Services(SSS), Sulaiman stressed
that nepotism and favouritism in appointing into such strategic
position would not augur well for the administration that promised
Nigerians during electioneering campaign the total change of the
country without fear or favour.
He therefore called for immediate removal of Lawal Daura as Director
General of the State Security Service (SSS) in respect to the sanctity
of justice and credibility, noting that failure to remove Daura as
SSS boss would portray the nation security outfit as an outfit to
witch-hunt the perceived political enemies and this development would
erode its credibility in the committee of nations’ security apparatus.