President Buhari, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, yesterday, congratulated Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the foresight and maturity of leading his people to the polls to decide on the future of leadership for the country that will further deepen peace and stability.
Buhari was quoted as saying that the Turkey referendum showcases the democratic credentials of the country and reflects a willingness of the Turkish people to live together and jointly pursue a better future.
But the Lower Niger Congress (LNC) in a statement yesterday, faulted the president, saying his position depicts ‘double standards.’
Secretary-General of the LNC, Mr. Tony Nnadi, said it would be hypocritical of Nigeria’s presidency to be congratulating Turkey on a successful referendum when it is using physical and psychological force to prevent a referendum in Nigeria.
Nnadi said the LNC is an aggregation of the self-determination initiatives of the old Eastern and Midwestern regions of Nigeria, seeking a referendum to decide the future of the peoples of the territory.”
“In the face of the reluctance of the Federal Government of Nigeria to see inevitable role of a referendum in resolving the bourgeoning self-determination quest of Eastern Nigeria which had been prosecuted by its younger generation as “Biafra Agitation,” the Lower Niger Congress (LNC), views the congratulatory message of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Government and People of Turkey as a paradox of monumental proportions,’’ the group said.
