Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, has said President Bola Tinubu is displaying too much weakness in the face of continued advocacy from different quarters that are calling for a military takeover similar to that of the Niger Republic.
Mr Omokri said this in a post via his X account formally known as Twitter on Sunday.
Mr Omokri, who professed his loyalty and support for the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, noted that many major influencers and influential citizens are engaging in the push for a coup military takeover on social media.
He further stated that if he were president, he would have approached the Nigerian Secret Police, and the Department of State Security, and asked them to arrest people agitating for a military coup.
According to him, freedom of speech does not include calling for a military takeover in a sovereign state like Nigeria.
Mr Okokir, therefore, urged that Mr Tinubu, who is the president cannot continue to play the nice man, insisting that “Niceness is for useless things”
His words:
“I am for Waziri Atiku today and tomorrow. However, President Tinubu is showing too much weakness. How can there be a military coup in your next door neighbour, and prominent citizens, as well as influencers, are calling for a coup in the traditional and social media, and they are still sleeping in their houses?
“If I were the President, by now, such people would be in an underground DSS cell, where they won’t see sunlight for a week, and they will lose track of time before being hauled to a court to answer for treason charges.
“Nobody consolidates power by showing weakness. Nobody! Freedom of speech does not include calling for a military takeover. Buhari was a disaster in the area of the economy and security. Still, I have every confidence in him and President Obasanjo that if you tried this under them, you would pray for death because of what they will use their legal powers to do to you.
“If you want to be President of Nigeria, you cannot be nice. Niceness is for useless things like #BBNaija, owambe, and flirting. But to be a leader, you must punish even the slightest hint of disloyalty to the state and reward good behaviour. If even the Pope misyarns, underground bunker straight! Otherwise, you are sending a very wrong message to people who are looking for weakness.
“Mo ti so temi!”
Coup
Last month, Military officers deposed President Mohammed Bazoum’s democratic government in the Niger Republic.
According to reports, soldiers seized state television barely hours after Mr Bazoum was arrested inside Niamey’s presidential palace, where he has remained alongside his family on house arrest.
In reaction, President Tinubu promptly disregarded the threat to Niger’s democracy and dispatched a large delegation to work with all parties to restore constitutional order.
The ECOWAS Commission also gave coup plotters in Niger a one-week deadline to hand over control to the democratically elected government or face military intervention.
Furthermore, the juntas have remained adamant about holding on to power despite calls for a major military invasion into the uranium-rich country.
External intervention
The News.ng had reported how US Vice President Kamala Harris and United State Secretary of State Antony Blinken communicated with President Tinubu separately praising him for leading efforts to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger, which is currently dealing with an army-led revolution.
Both leaders voiced their support for President Tinubu’s ongoing efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger. President Tinubu was recently elected as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State.