{"id":42145,"date":"2015-09-19T18:22:19","date_gmt":"2015-09-19T17:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=42145"},"modified":"2015-09-19T18:22:19","modified_gmt":"2015-09-19T17:22:19","slug":"nigeria-drifting-towards-dictatorship-pdp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nigeria-drifting-towards-dictatorship-pdp\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria Drifting Towards Dictatorship-PDP"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\u00a0 The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says with the unfolding of events; the
\ndeliberate infractions and crass abuse of power by the President Muhammadu
\nBuhari-led APC Federal Government, it is no longer in doubt that the
\nnation is on a quick slide into fascism and official terrorism.<\/p>\n

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa
\nMetuh, on Saturday alerted that the President Buhari-led regime has
\nexhibited trappings of despotism, including \u201cruling without a
\nconstitutional component of a cabinet, persistent abuse of power,
\nundermining of democratic institutions, invasion of state government and
\npersonal houses, injecting confusion into the judiciary and hounding of
\nindividuals perceived to be against its interests\u201d.<\/p>\n

The party expressed worry over the \u201crelentless onslaught against
\ndemocratic institutions, especially the growing tension trailing the quest
\nto annex the National Assembly; for which the Presidency had since vowed
\nnot to recognize the current Senate leadership, in total disdain to the
\nindependence of the legislature and the principle of separation of
\npowers\u201d.<\/p>\n

It further described as a mockery of reasoning, for President Buhari to
\ncondemn the recent coup in Burkina Faso whilst his government continues to
\nviolate the provisions of the constitution of his own country.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrdinarily, the intra-party squabbles within the APC, regarding
\nleadership positions in the Senate is not necessarily our concern. Also,
\nwe are not interested in whether Senate President Bukola Saraki ran for
\nthe APC Presidential ticket against President Muhammadu Buhari; or whether
\nhe ran for the Senate Presidency against the advice of the President and
\nhis party. Our concerns here are the prevailing executive intolerance, the
\nundermining of the institution of the National Assembly and the overall
\nthreat to the survival of our democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhereas the PDP totally supports the fight against corruption, while
\nreposing confidence in the judiciary to protect and preserve its sanctity,
\nwe note with grave concern, the politically induced controversies within
\nthe judiciary, as a result of the part being played by agents of the
\nexecutive, especially the question of due process with respect to the
\nroles statutorily vested on the person of an Attorney-General, who is yet
\nto be appointed, regarding proceedings in the Code of Conduct Tribunal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe note this dangerous trend because the Presidency and the APC have not
\nhidden their aversion to the election of Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike
\nEkweremadu as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively,
\neven as the fact of various moves to oust them from office, including the
\nrecent unsubstantiated allegations of forgery and harassments by the
\nfederal controlled security agencies are in the public domain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call on Nigerians to be aware that the fixation on the leadership of
\nthe National Assembly is part of a major step towards the appropriation of
\nthe federal legislature, so as to undermine its statutory role of checks
\nand balances and set the stage for dictatorship in the land.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of this script is to commence a major onslaught against federal
\nlawmakers perceived to hold divergent views to those of the Presidency,
\nirrespective of party affiliations, a situation that would ensure a
\nsubdued legislature.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, similar machineries have been activated for possible forceful
\ntakeover of PDP states, a plot which played out in the recent act of
\nterrorism against democracy, in the invasion of Akwa-Ibom state government
\nhouse by the Department of State Services (DSS), under the direct
\ninstructions from the Presidency.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also recall July reprehensible invasion and sealing of Rivers local
\ncouncils by the Police, who also barred members of caretaker committees
\nthat were duly appointed by the state government to take charge of the
\ncouncils.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe erosion of personal freedom of citizen also came to public glare in
\nthe invasion of the home of the former National Security Adviser (NSA),
\nCol. Sambo Dasuki, against constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights
\nand the rule of law.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurthermore, Nigerians are witness to the undue interferences of the
\nDepartment of State Services in the activities of election tribunals in
\nPDP controlled states of Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Delta, Abia, Taraba and others
\nwhere electoral officers are being harassed, intimidated and detained,
\nostensibly to influence judgments against the PDP.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recall the show of intolerance in the venom and disparagement with
\nwhich the APC-led administration in August, attacked our highly revered
\nnational leaders in the National Peace Committee, which has as members,
\nformer Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, His
\nEminence, Alhaji Sa\u2019ad Abubakar, respected clerics; Archbishop John
\nOnaiyekan and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka, retired justices of superior
\nrecords, as well as other highly respected patriotic Nigerians, for daring
\nto counsel Buhari\u2019s government on some observed undemocratic tendencies
\nand processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is therefore a mockery of reasoning for President Buhari to use choice
\nwords to condemn the coup in Burkina Faso whilst his government engages in
\nbrazen contravention of our own constitution, a development that is
\nclearly derailing Nigeria from the path of order, democracy and
\nconstitutionalism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is hence only appropriate that the President is called upon to focus
\non restoring proper democracy in Nigeria and end this drift towards
\ndictatorship under the \u201cnew Sheriff\u2019, an ominous undemocratic nomenclature
\nintroduced into our political space by the Presidency.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe invite the international community and the civil society to note that
\nour nation is facing a defining moment for the survival of democracy.
\nNigeria has come to a point where citizens, irrespective of political
\naffiliations, can no longer freely express their views. We have fast
\ndescended from an environment of personal freedom and rule of law to an
\nenvironment of muffled voices and suppression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhereas we remain dedicated to our commitment in providing a robust and
\ncredible opposition, constructively offering alternatives to policies and
\nprogrammes of the Federal Government, we restate in the strongest possible
\nterms, that we shall not be cowed to abdicate our irrevocable resolution
\nto defend our democracy, while resisting actions inimical to the stability
\nand unity of our dear nation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says with the unfolding of events; the deliberate infractions and crass abuse of power by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Federal Government, it is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\nNigeria Drifting Towards Dictatorship-PDP - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/nigeria-drifting-towards-dictatorship-pdp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nigeria Drifting Towards Dictatorship-PDP - 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