Professionals and Businessmen in the country have alerted of alleged plots to by a certain ‘unpatriotic persons’ to distract and weaken the Tinubu-led government by mounting coordinated attacks on the office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
The group under the aegis of Forum of Nigerians Professionals in Politics (FNPP) said it has intelligence that those behind the attacks on the person and office of the Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, are enemies of the Tinubu administration who aimed to distract the government from actualising its set objectives and goals.
National Coordinator of the Forum, Chief Okey Ezenwa, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said the attackers were after the office of the Chief of Staff, knowing the sensitive nature of the office and person of the Chief of Staff to the success of any administration.
“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,” they said.
Ezenwa, a former Assistant National Secretary of opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former National Director, Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Council, 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.
“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 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, eventually distracted and fails.
“It is instructive to recall that when Chief Mike Oghiadomhe was removed as Chief of Staff to 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 Muhammadu Buhari also marked to beginning of the vulnerability of the Buhari administration leading to a weakened power base which eventually crippled his political prowess and also led to loss of popularity and apparent performance failure,” the Forum stated.
The Forum observed that this was the first time a person of the standing of an immediate-past Speaker of the House of Representatives, fresh and dripping with 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 action as it was completely against the collective interest of the people.
The Forum pledged support for President Bola Tinubu and urged him to remain focused and not allow the elements to distract, detract and weaken his administration especially in his commitment to reposition the economy and check corruption in the country.
“Nigeria is passing through challenges at this critical phase of our national life as the government works vigorously to transit 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,” they stated.