Why I kept quiet on Operation Amotekun – Tinubu

National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has finally broke his silence over the controversies surrounding the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, code named Amotekun.

According to him, Amotekun presents a great opportunity for the country in its quest to enthrone true federalism, of which he has been an advocate since 1999.

He called for a private discussion between the Governors of the South-west and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami, to resolve misunderstanding over the security outfit.

Tinubu in a statement titled “The Public Discourse Over Amotekun,” said the foundation of the country had not been put at risk with the South-west regional security outfit launched by the governors of the zone in a bit to confront the insecurity in their states.

“Until now, I have deliberately maintained a studied silence regarding Amotekun. Many have tried to goad my swift public reaction. Those who have taken this road did so not because they care about Amotekun or even the people it intends to help protect. They did so knowing this had become a delicate and emotional issue for many. These cynics did so with the adversarial hope that, in haste, I might misspeak or misstep in a manner they could twist to their political advantage.

“If truly I am a political leader as I am often described, then I have not the luxury of hasty, ill-conceived utterances. There are those who will use inflamed words to spark the passions of others. This may bring transient applause. But when the cheers fade, we shall only have further descended because their words were never inclined toward resolution and long-term improvement but toward short-term popularity and perpetual confrontation.

The former Lagos governor, however, warned that, that fabric could be torn by what he called the “dangerous rhetoric of those who should know better.”

“Those claiming that the Federal Government seeks to terribly suppress the Southwest have also lost their compass. Those who occupy these two extremes have sunken into the dark recesses of fear and political paranoia that can undo a nation if such sentiments are allowed to gestate”.

He also added that the matter cannot be resolved on the pages of newspapers or by attributing negative motives to either side. “The best way to resolve this is still for the two sides to enter private discussions. Either the governors should seek an official but private meeting with the Attorney-General, or the Attorney-General can initiate the contact. Since Amotekun is their initiative, the governors bear the greater onus in seeking the meeting.”