Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders’ Forum has warned against a plot by some Presidency officials allegedly led by Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, to remove Acting Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Matthew Seyeifa from office.
The forum spoke on Sunday in a statement co-signed by its spokespersons, Yinka Odumakin (South-West), Senator Bassey Henshaw (South-South), Prof. Chigozie Ogbu (South-East) and Dr Isuwa Dogo (Middle Belt).
The group stated that it would have ignored the reported plan to remove Seyeifa “but for the clannishness, sectional proclivity and exclusive handling of the security architecture of the country by President Buhari in the last three years.”
According to them, Buhari’s refusal to speak on the removal of the DSS DG since he returned from London confirms the speculation that he was not happy with Daura’s removal.
The statement read in part,
“He (Buhari) had defied all protestations from all well-meaning Nigerians in making appointments into all key and sensitive security positions in sectional and kith-and-kin affairs in a very insensitive and ‘you-can-do-your-worse-manner’ that until the recent sacking of Lawal Daura, 16 out of 17 service chiefs were from his corner of the country.
“The President had not commented on the sack of the former DG of DSS since he returned from his London vacation confirms the speculation that he was not happy with Daura’s removal.
“The President should prevail on Kyari and stop him from removing Seyeifa as there would be consequences if the South-West and South-South regions were marginalised in the DSS leadership hierarchy.
“The rest of the country has lived with the insensitivity of Mr President in handling the security architecture in the last three years with equanimity.
“It may be necessary not to overstretch it by removing the acting DG and stopping the professional reorganisation in the DSS because it is not in tandem with the ethnic domination script of Mr President. It may turn out the proverbial last straw.”
