By Our Reporter
A civil society organisation, under the aegis of National Forum of Democrats has alleged that Governor Kassim Shettima and some politicians in Borno State are planning to create tension ahead of the 2019 general elections through Boko Haram insurgency hoax.
The group said these political elements have concluded plans to use the Boko Haram insurgents to achieve their aim by planting stories in the media and sponsoring Boko Haram attacks in the north-east.
Addressing newsmen on Saturday in Kaduna, the national leader of NDF, Alhaji Gambo Dambata, said that certain Shettima and other forces benefiting from the old order were trying to draw back the hands of the clock to return to the era of doom and gloom in the nation.
Dambata alleged that the calculation of such persons is to sponsor publications in both print and electronic media that Boko Haram is occupying certain territories in Nigeria and in collaboration with some international organization so as to generate a security report that would make INEC to shelve holding the 2019 polls in these localities.
He said, "Borno State as you all know has been at the receiving end of the Boko Haram scourge since the group turned violent in 2009.
"Prior to this, Borno has been one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria with a metropolitan state capital, Maiduguri, that was home to all and sundry irrespective of religious or ethnic background.
"It's major towns like Bama, Monguno, Gwoza and Biu stood out as major markets and centers of commerce for both the indigenes and other entrepreneurs.
"The result was that sanity returned to Borno State and the normal life craved for by all began to take shape.
Schools began to open, markets received a boom and governance was instilled.
"You may have noticed reports in some quarters about occupation of some territories in Borno State allegedly by Boko Haram.
This subtle campaign which appears to draw sympathy to the local population in the said territories is nothing but an orchestrated narrative to set in a sinister agenda for the manipulation of the forthcoming general elections and to hoodwink multilateral agencies and other humanitarian organisation into donating funds for diversion and use by these elements."
"The calculation of is to sponsor publications in both print and electronic media that Boko Haram is occupying certain territories in Nigeria and in collaboration with some international organization so as to generate a security report that would make INEC to shelve holding the 2019 polls in this locality and thereafter hold same in IDP camps where they are able to carryout their rigging plans.
"But we ask how possible it is for the insurgents to keep any territories in the current circumstances where the insurgents have been terribly weakened and downgraded that they have resorted to bombing soft targets?
"Such people forget that Nigerians are not so gullible and that people are aware that since the President ordered the sevice chiefs to relocate to the Notth-east, the military has not lost ground on any territory but has consolidated its grip in holding forte recovered territories to the jubilation of the populace.
"This group has taken a tour of the North-east and can confirm authoritatively that the 13 LGAs once held by Boko Haram in 2015 have all been liberated.
"We can also confirm that serious-minded humanitarian organizations are on ground giving help while economic activities have returned to its old order and life booming for the people again.
"One is therefore at a loss why Shettima and his co-travelers think they can hatch a new plot to play on the sensibility of well meaning Nigerians and try to diminish the success of the war against insurgency by the Muhammadu Buhari led Administration.
"We urge Shettima and his loyalists to forget about holding elections in IDP camps as there is a deliberate plot by some selfish politicians to sponsor attacks across the north-east in the name of Boko Haram just to cause panic, apprehension and pandemonium in the state as to give room for Elections to hold in IDP camps where they can easily manipulate the results in favour of their preferred candidates.