Press Release
In what is
clearly an attack on Nigerians’ Constitutionally guaranteed rights of
association and freedom of movement, the Federal Government yesterday, 27th
October 2013, illegally used the coercive arm of the state – the Nigeria police
to storm and forcefully dislodge seven Nigerian governors as well as other
citizens from the Sokoto Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.
From a government that purports to obey the
rule of law, the disruption
of a peaceful meeting by the police is not only
crude, condemnable and unwarranted, but is a reflection of government’s growing
intolerance and an affront on the democratic rights of Nigerians.
Particularly
disturbing and worthy of note is that if seven Nigerian governors, all of whom
are constitutionally guaranteed immunity from prosecution can be manhandled in
such a brutal manner, what would be the fate of ordinary citizens who seek to
exercise their rights to freedom association?
It is evident that the federal government is
unlawfully using the police for its illegal and nefarious activities for the
purpose of intimidation aimed at
imposing the Bamanga Tukur-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on other party
members and Nigerians.
The Progressive
Governors Forum finds it unacceptable that Nigeria Police has been reduced to
partisan agents and attack dogs that only serve a part of a political party
when the levels of insecurity in the country are so high. It is reckless to
take partisan contest to levels of warfare as the federal government has done
because this would only weaken the capacity of security operatives in
responding to real security challenges.
At a time when
every security outfit and resource should be devoted to securing the lives and
livelihoods of Nigerians, that the Federal Government thinks it expedient to
send the number of officers and the kind of equipment it did to harass its
perceived political opponents takes governance to a new level of
irresponsibility and rascality. Clearly, President Jonathan and his advisers
have acted in complete violations of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria as amended pursuant to some self-serving political
interests.
The Progressive
Governors Forum notes with concern, the role of other public officials in the
persecution of perceived opposition figures like Senator Aisha
Al-Hassan, whose events centre, A-Park Gardens in Abuja, which has been in operation
for several years, being suddenly revoked by the FCTA and slated for
demolition.
This is coming after the security details
attached to Senators Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Danjuma Goje, former Governors
of Kwara and Gombe states respectively, have been withdrawn, as were the
security details attached Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State who
now operates without an ADC and a CSO.
The PGF hereby
expresses solidarity with the G7 Governors who have every right to fear for
their lives, as well as other Nigerians that have fallen victims of government
misuse of the police to intimidate, harass and oppress them.
We urge all
patriotic Nigerians to rise to the defense of their legitimate constitutional
rights and invite the leadership of the National Assembly to direct the Federal
Government to stop using security operatives to harass political opponents.
We also call on
the National Assembly to direct the police to stop the ongoing regrettable and
unconstitutional harassment of members of New PDP forthwith and to urgently
intervene and halt the authoritarian actions of the Federal Government which
amount to direct attacks on the little that are left of our democracy.
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