…Accuses President of Overheating the Polity
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the United Nations and
the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, to take judicial
note of the boast by President Muhammadu Buhari affirming and approving
his violation of fundamental rights of Nigerians during his regime as
military head of state.
The PDP is alarmed that President Buhari has been overheating the polity
with inflammatory and anti-democratic comments, which have been
promoting state involved violence, sectional bloodletting and
resentment; exacerbated hatred, abuse of rights and brazen violation of
our constitution and democratic order.
Nigerians were shocked when President Buhari, with relish, boasted that
“when I was in uniform, younger and rather ruthless, I got from
President downward, I locked them up in Kirikiri. I said, you’re guilty
except you prove yourself innocent”.
Whereas our constitution and all tenets of democracy and justice across
the world, hold all citizens innocent until proven guilty in court of
competent jurisdiction, President Buhari promotes the otherwise and
feels favourably disposed to acts that suspends our constitution and
imposition of military diktat.
This particular hate speech by President Buhari has finally confirmed
the underlining impetus behind the prevailing executive highhandedness,
the trumped-up charges against the opposition, persecution of political
opponents, flagrant disobedience to court orders, brazen harassment,
arrests, molestations, illegal detention and extra-judicial execution of
innocent Nigerians as already catalogued by the PDP and international
bodies, including the United States Department of State.
These include the horrendous bloodletting and killings in various parts
of our country, particularly in Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Plateau,
Nasarawa, Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Abia, Anambra, among others.
Furthermore, the world now know why appointees of President Buhari have
continued to hold the institution of democracy, particularly the
National Assembly and the courts, in utter disdain, in addition to the
continuous harassment of federal legislators and intimidation of
judicial officers.
Nigeria has not been more divided than it is today under President
Buhari and unguarded comments, which have continued to overheat the
polity and set citizens against one another.
The PDP therefore calls on the United Nations, the ICC, all lovers of
democracy as well as all compatriots to join hands in condemning this
trend that is now obviously threatening to truncate our hard-earned
democracy and erode the freedom our people.
Finally, the PDP will continue to stand with the people and work for the
unity, cohesion and protection of all Nigerians irrespective of creed,
ethnicity and political affiliations.
