BEVERLY HILLS, CA, October 28, (THEWILL) – The Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, has condemned in strong terms the use of state machinery by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP administration against members of the opposition, particularly politicians who are believed to belong to political groups and political parties other than the PDP.
The condemnation came as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also lambasted the Police and the Federal Government for breaching constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens who share contrary political views by assaulting their rights to freedom of association and assembly.
Reacting to the incident in Abuja weekend where the G-7 members of the PDP were prevented from meeting at the Sokoto Government Lodge, the former Vice President lamented that the assault on the freedom of association and assembly is rapidly pushing Nigeria into an authoritarian state with impunity.
According to him, the democratic liberties of citizens are more important than individual political ambitions.
He deplored the incessant harassment and humiliation of political opponents insisting that it is indefensible.
The former Vice President maintained that freedom of association and assembly are constitutional guarantees, which should not be violated at will by the any government.
The Turaki Adamawa argued that these constitutional guarantees are superior to party politics.
“I am alarmed at the level of impunity with which the Police are frequently breaching the rights of Nigerian citizens to association,” the former Vice President noted.
The National Chairman of PDM, Mallam Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, who condemned the use of state machinery by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP administration against the opposition through his Media Advisor, Alaba Yusuf, described the latest clampdown on opposition politicians and groups as, “nothing but political witch-hunting and shameless display of intolerance.“ He said “The latest victim of this totalitarianism, Mrs. Aisha Jummai Alhassan, a serving female senator from Taraba State, has her business premises targeted for demolition because she belongs to a faction of PDP opposed to President Jonathan. “
According to Ibrahim, “This is tyranny of the highest order and a clear breach of citizens’ rights to freedom of association as ingrained in our country’s constitution.”
Ibrahim compared the marking for demolition of houses and businesses of opposition politicians, especially in Abuja, to killing a fly with a sledge hammer. “It is inhuman, undemocratic and against all tenets of natural justice and therefore stand condemned,” he said.
The PDM further chronicled the barrage of attacks against the opposition as follows: “The Federal Capital Territory might was first noticed in the corridors of the members of the New PDP and all those who are perceived as non-conformists to PDP practice, when their Maitama District Party Office was summarily and militarily shutdown, soon after the PDP Convention in August.
“This was quickly followed by the threats to demolish same building, and others owned or used by opposition politicians. The Adamawa State Governor’s Lodge, where the nPDP later moved to, also became a target and marked for bulldozing. Now, the impunity has escalated to the private and commercial interests of opposition elements. This kind of impunity must not be allowed to stand and should not continue unchallenged.”
The PDM Chairman however advised President Jonathan to spend his energy to fight the rot inside his party and government.
“Let him deploy his uncommon zeal in dealing with the opposition to fighting the monumental level of corruption in which his favourite ministers are involved. Let him cleanse the Ministries of Petroleum, Aviation, Niger Delta and defense of corruption and stop industrial-scale oil theft in the creeks. Then we will know he is serious about solving Nigeria’s problems. Jonathan should stop chasing shadows and overheating the polity,” Ibrahim advised.
PDM further stressed: “It is no longer news the grave intimidation and harassment being dished out to the G-7. The precarious political situation in Rivers and Adamawa States where constituted political structures are daily being undermined or completely usurped is also unacceptable. These acts of wickedness, if not nipped in the bud, will spell doom for our nascent democracy. They are avoidable self-destructive moves being pushed by vengeful characters who have no role in building the democracy we now have. In addition was the unsettled imbroglio from the aborted Nigerian Governors’ Forum election deemed to have been won by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, but unlawfully given to Governor Jonah David Jang of Plateau State by the PDP government.
That decision was nothing short of fascism by an administration that is not practicing what it preaches. All these shady and shoddy show of raw and crude exhibition of power of incumbency, constitute real bad omen for a country that just won a seat on the Security Council of the UN. No country can truly grow or develop when its government oppresses the citizens and make people to live in abject poverty, fear and insecurity. ”
The party therefore called on all men and women of good intention to come together to support and fight what it described as litany of misdeeds, while working steadily in concert with all patriotic forces to ensure a positive political change in the country, in order to restore credibility and dignity back to Nigeria.
According to Ibrahim, “Gone were the days when people just dream about change without working out a plan for it. We all need to wrestle power from these latter day democrats to rescue our fatherland from this degrading treatment. Nigeria belongs to all of us and cannot be left as an exclusive preserve of a privileged few who are at the helms of affairs today.”
