A group of professionals and businessmen raised the alarm on Sunday that the recent upsurge in attacks against the person and office of the chief of staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, is part of a wider plot to weaken the fledgling administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The group, under the aegis of the Forum of Nigerian Professionals in Politics (FNPP), stated this in a statement issued in Abuja by its National Coordinator of the Forum, Chief Okey Ezenwa, a former Assistant National Secretary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former National Director, Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Council.
It noted that the office of the former speaker of the House of Representatives was being targeted with mounting coordinated attacks
“by certain unpatriotic persons” to distract and weaken the Tinubu-led government.
According to the statement, intelligence available to the group suggested that those behind the attacks on the person and office of Gbajabiamila “are enemies of the Tinubu administration who aim to distract the government from actualizing its set objectives and goals.”
The group alleged that the perpetrators do this “knowing the sensitive nature of the office and person of the chief of staff to the success of any administration.”
It added: “Information at the disposal of our forum indicates that this plot is the reason for the unwarranted vicious attacks against the chief of staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, knowing the sensitive nature of the office and person of the Chief of Staff to the success of any administration.
“Intelligence available to the Forum shows that these elements are not particularly after Femi Gbajabiamila as a person, but they are sinister forces who, from the onset, seek the failure of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration for their selfish agenda.”
FNPP further alerted that the enemies of the Tinubu administration recruited unsuspecting fifth columnists and hatchet writers to fabricate false allegations against the chief of staff in order to cause internal disaffection and weaken the administration.
Continuing, it said: “Being aware of the value the administration will draw from the experience and capacity of a Chief of Staff of the status of an immediate former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the anti-government elements have enlisted unsuspecting individuals and interests as fifth columnists and hatchet writers to discredit the Chief of Staff, with spurious allegations intended to inject bad blood in the Presidency and weaken the administration.
“Our Forum has examined the allegations and claims against the Chief of Staff and found all of them to be unfounded fabrications being conjured and put in the public space with the intent to trigger internal disaffection and weaken the Tinubu administration
“Given that a strong chief of staff is pivotal to the stability and success of governments all over the world, those who plot to weaken and derail a government always start with vicious attacks on the office and person of chief of staff to the president.
“This is because when a strong chief of staff is crippled or caused to be removed, the government itself becomes vulnerable to unpatriotic forces and is eventually distracted and fails.
“It is instructive to recall that when Chief Mike Oghiadomhe was removed as chief of staff by President Jonathan, the government became weakened and vulnerable to political attacks, which largely distracted and affected its performance.
“In the same vein, the death of Mallam Abba Kyari, the chief of staff to former President Buhari, also marked the beginning of the vulnerability of the Buhari administration, leading to a weakened power base that eventually crippled his political prowess and also led to a loss of popularity and apparent performance failure.”
The Forum observed that this is the first time a person of the standing of an immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives, “fresh and dripping with the existing influence of superintending over a large power base, is appointed as chief of staff, apparently to add value to the government and make it strong.”
It therefore cautioned those behind the attacks to desist from such an act, as it is completely against the collective interest of the people.
The Forum pledged support for President Tinubu and urged him to remain focused and not allow these elements to distract, detract from, and weaken his administration, especially in light of his commitment to repositioning the economy and checking corruption in the country.
“Nigeria is passing through challenges at this critical phase of our national life as the government works vigorously to transition the nation to a self-reliant, productive country. All hands must therefore be on the deck in support instead of this unnecessary selfish plot to detract and derail the administration,” it added.