The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, on Tuesday said members of the opposition party being “maligned and harassed by despotic APC administration are not afraid of Nigeria’s law because they believe in the rule of law.”
Prince Secondus said that the desire of the APC-led administration was to drag Nigeria back to the dark period where they could jail people including foreigners indiscriminately without going through the process of the law but noted that such era cannot work again in a democracy.
Secondus through a statement from his media office signed by Ike Abonyi wondered why the Presidency is stressed up on an innocuous letter to the United Nation that merely stated the obvious happenings in the country regarding democratic developments.
“Instead of debunking the issues raised in the letter with empirical facts they now resort to blackmail and intimidation of arresting and docking PDP members.
“Let the Presidency tell the world what they have done in the past three years to deepen our democracy, is it the inconclusive elections rampant under their watch; is it the invasion of Judges Homes at midnight with deadly weapons or the invasion of parliament and abduction of the mace?
“PDP members are not afraid of facing the law because they believe in the rule of law, what they are resisting and want the international community to note is the gradual return of 1984 draconian system in 2018.
“Anybody who watched a serving Senator being taken to court in an ambulance in a distance of over 200 kilometers on framed up charges, would know that our democracy is in danger.”
The PDP boss wondered why they did not list those things the administration is doing or has done to deepen our democracy instead of bemoaning a harmless letter.
“Can democracy flourish in an atmosphere where the Senate of a country is being vandalized and the mace, the symbol of authority, removed by hired hoodlums as security operatives that report to the Presidency watch?
“Is democracy not threatened in a situation where serving legislators are being framed up and humiliated publicly by agents of the state just for having dissenting voice on issues?
Prince Secondus said the PDP decided to alert the democratic world about the emerging signs because the party nurtured democracy for 16 years and cannot afford a relapse too soon under a dictatorship.
“The history of our party is a history of democratic struggle, we know our contributions, we know the price we paid to be here, we cannot just seat and watch it destroyed in the name of fighting corruption while the same government is harbouring and giving cover to known corrupt people.”
Prince Secondus finally charged Nigerians to stand up against dictatorship by refusing to be intimidated.