From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Presidency has described as smacking of mischief the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) comments that President Muhammadu Buhari cancelled his trip to Zamfara over the fear of being attacked by terrorists and that he should have gone by road.

President Buhari, who was in Sokoto on Thursday to inaugurate some projects, was billed to proceed to Zamfara to discuss insecurity in the state and also to commiserate with the people over the recent attacks in Anka and Bukkuyum LGAs.

According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu, the PDP’s suggestion that Buhari should have proceeded on the journey to Sokoto-Gusau by road, a distance of about 200 kilometres shows, either a lack of understanding of presidential movements especially for a party that held that office for 16 years, or an act that smacks of mischief. Whatever be the case, there must be a limit to trivialization.

The Presidency in a statement titled “Elaboration of the reason the presidential visit to Gusau national we postponed”, said there is a need to throw more light on what forced the cancellation of the visit to Zamfara State.

It says with visibility fluctuating between 300-400 meters down from the minimum requirement of 1,000, it is clearly unsafe in the absence of precise instrument approaches that provide guidance for the pilots.

The statement reads:

The Presidency wishes to give further clarification on the circumstances of bad weather which forced the cancellation of the visit to Zamfara State on Thursday of President Muhammadu Buhari in spite of the great interest generated nationwide on the planned visit.

As briefly explained by the President in a special broadcast to the people of the state, the sudden deterioration of the weather was the sole and only reason for the cancellation of the visit.

It is not unusual for flights to get cancelled when there is bad weather, whether this is arising from wind or rainstorm, fog or haze as we had it on Thursday over much of the northern towns including Gusau, capital of Zamfara State. Many of these cities are known to suffer from low visibility during the harmattan season as we are now in.

A kilometre of visibility is usually a standard landing minimum requirement but in the case of Gusau on the day in question, this minimum requirement of 1,000 meters was down, fluctuating between 300-400 meters. Clearly, this was unsafe in the absence of precise instrument approaches that provide guidance for the pilots. The flights into Gusau were, in view of this, cancelled.

Criticism of the President, in particular the one by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for not proceeding with the journey, Sokoto-Gusau by road, a distance of about 200 kilometres shows, either a lack of understanding of presidential movements especially for a party that held that office for sixteen years, or an act that smacks of mischief. Whatever be the case, there must be a limit to trivialization.

All over the world, Commanders-in-Chief, serving or even those that have left office cannot hop into a car and go anywhere they want, at any time of the day. In the United States, for instance, a law going as far back as 1958 prevents past Presidents from travelling on public roads without assured security (how much more of serving Presidents).

When roads are closed for presidential movements here and elsewhere, consideration is also given to the safety of other road users, not just that of the President or even Governor.

The statement on the issue by the PDP attacking the President for not making it to Gusau without this being planned ahead of the journey is shameful and disgraceful for a party that held the presidency of the country in the past. What is their own record?

It is sad for the country that the bankruptcy of issues has forced the PDP, the so-called leading opposition party, to hang on to life by only telling lies. And their caravan of falsehood has moved even more speedily following the inauguration of their not-so-new national executive at the end of last year.

It is equally important that local political actors who have seized upon the cancellation of the visit to describe it as a victory for this or that faction of the party, accompanied by songs, lyrics and videos to know that their joy is a short-lived one. As he promised in that broadcast, the visit to Gusau by the President is only a matter of time.

Given the right conditions of the weather and all other things, he will return, and in time to accomplish his mission.