By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
As the controversy that trailed the burial of the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari, continues to simmer, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said it noted the apology by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic, Boss Mustapha, on the violation of the government’s health safety and social restriction directives by certain government officials during the funeral of Kyari.
But the opposition party said the apology notwithstanding, Mustapha and others who flouted the extant regulations must be punished according to the law.
The party’s position was contained in a statement by the national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, which was made available to TheNiche on Tuesday.
“Our party understands that the apology came after widespread
condemnation of the conduct of such government officials and other
individuals at the funeral,” the party said.
But the PDP said it was unfortunate that those who make and enforce rules
over ordinary Nigerians were found directly violating the same rules
with impunity, thereby compromising the efforts to check the spread of
the pandemic in Nigeria.
“Our party holds that the SGF and other government officials including
PTF members ought to have shown respect to the memory of Mallam Kyari by conducting themselves in a manner that should have served as a guide to other Nigerians in the fight against COVID-19.
“This, therefore, is not an act that an apology by the SGF will serve as
enough, as it does not drive home the issue at stake to the public as
well as to government officials.
“Consequently, the PDP charges the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
authorities, in line with its actions against ordinary Nigerians who had
flouted the rules, to immediately prosecute all government functionaries
involved in this violation.
“Nigerians had all watched how the FCT prosecuted residents at various
mobile courts across the territory. Justice would therefore only be done
and of course, seen to have been done, if the FCT toes the same line in
this instance.
“Nigeria as a nation is governed by the constitution in which all
Nigerians are deemed equal before the law. Our officials must learn to
respect rules made and enforced by them, particularly at this trying
time,” the statement added.
The PDP however urged Nigerians not to allow the development to make
them lose faith in the over all mutli-sectoral effort to contain the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The party also charged all citizens to redouble their efforts in adhering
to the restriction order as well as health safety directives of social
distancing and personal hygiene, adding that with the concerted effort
of all, the nation will defeat the scourge.