President Goodluck Jonathan

Two weeks after visiting the Boko Haram insurgency-ridden Maiduguri, Borno State, President Goodluck Jonathan will again visit the state to campaign for next month’s election.

His previous visit was to the soldiers serving in the state in commemoration with the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

The President had severely been criticised in recent times for not visiting the crisis-torn North-East.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the President would unfold plans to tackle the Boko Haram militant sect during his campaign in the state.

Meanwhile, the governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, on Friday appealed to his supporters and all citizens of the state not to show any form of disrespect to the President and his entourage during the campaign visit.

Shettima made the call in a statement by his media aide, Mallam Isa Gusau.

The governor said the call became necessary because of recent attacks carried out on the President in Bauchi and Katsina States during which irate youths reportedly went wild against the President’s convoy.

He described the acts as disrespectful, show of intolerance and extremely bad politics.

He said, “From what I have read or heard in the media so far, there has not been any issue of such in any APC-controlled states visited by the President and Borno should not be an exception.

“We have political differences and our differences are legitimate and based on the principles of our political parties and what we stand for.

“But we must remember that His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as citizens of this country, we have an obligation to respect his office and his person.

“Our millions of citizens who support the APC in Borno State and our Presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and anyone that supports me or any of our National and State Assembly candidates in the state should shun any act of violence, intolerance and unlawful political behaviour before, during and after the President’s visit and should remain law-abiding citizens of Borno State as our laws, norms and values demand.”

Also, in a related development, the Minister of State for Power, Hon. Mohammed Wakil, has described the attack on the convoy on the present during his campaign trips to parts of the North as misguided and misconceived.

-Punch