Boko Haram: APGA’s presidency ‘ll engage military contractors – VP candidate

…Protests exclusion from debate

Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Chief Jerry Chukwueke, has revealed that if voted into presidency next year, their government will not hesitate in engaging services of military contractors in fighting Boko Haram insurgency.

The foreign mercenaries, he said will work alongside Nigerian Army, take opportunity of modern equipment and well trained men and women in defeating the dreaded Boko Haram group with a short period of time.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Abuja, Chief Chukwueke, who protested his exclusion from the Vice Presidential debate organised by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), declared that both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People Democratic Party (PDP) failed to present contrate solutions to some of the challenges facing the country.

According to him, the only thing the debate was able to achieve was to tell Nigerians a bad news and some unrealistic statistics.

On the fight against insurgency, the APGA Vice Presidential candidate said Nigeria is “facing poverty as an existential threat and then we are facing insurgency as another existential threat. Our view is straight forward, when it comes to fighting Boko Haram, the gallant men and women we have in Arm forces are doing a very fantastic job under this condition but Our government is prepared to engage the services of military contractors for short period of time. Let them bring equipment, tools, trained men and women to fight alongside our military to attack insurgency.

“You can see where we are, the president was clear few days ago when he said I need tl have emergency meeting with the Chad Basin countries because the Boko Haram threat is getting out of control, because of our military bases have been overran, everyday Nigerians are killed in heavy loses. We need to do something different.

“Though our men and women in Arm forces are doing the job as they are doing but it is not enough. They are unequipped, their motivation level is low, look at the money we invested in hard wares but if we invest military contractors now they will coming with their equipment and tools and ready to go.”

While accusing BON for unjust treatment regarding the Vice Presidential debate, Chukwueke challenged the organiser that if three other political parties in attendance could be allowed, APGA with a serving governor, 11 National Assembly me!bers and several state House of Assembly memvers should have been considered.

“Let me apologise to all Nigerians and all the stakeholders across the globe for our absence at the Vice Presidential debate last Friday. I was there with the National Chairman of our party but we didn’t get the opportunity to participate and we were told by the organiser (BON) that they came up with five political parties based on an online report.

“The truth is Nigerians were denied an opportunity to hear our message and our prigressive agenda to truly evaluate what we are talking about as a true alternative path.

“The APGA is the third largest political party in Nigeria. We have produced a sitting governor, we have at least eleven members of the National Assembly and scores of state House of Assembly members.”

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