The People’s Democratic Party Speakers Forum condemns in strong terms the July 11 attack on the executive governor of Ekiti state and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, His Excellency Ayodele Peter Fayose by the members of the Nigeria Police.
This ugly incident is no less a brazen rape our fledging democracy and a negation of democratic values and constitutionalism
Whereas the Constitution guarantees freedom of association and not withstanding the fact that the period stipulated by Independent Electoral Commission for campaign in Ekiti had not elapsed, one wonders why the Federal Government should met out such brutal treatment on a governor of a state in total disregard of Constitutional immunity of the Governor.
The attack on Fayose and the siege on the Ekiti government house is a gross desecration of the sanctity of the Ekiti government and the legitimate authority of the people.
We wish to draw the attention of the international community to the brutish action of the federal government of Nigeria and the seeming threat to Nigeria’s Democracy while urging them to take necessary step to stem the tide of tyranny and tyrants rearing their ugly heads in our polity.
Obviously, the indices of the health of democracy in Nigeria shows alarming deterioration as the government gradually chisels away freedom of Association even to political parties thereby ushering the Nation into the stage of “Illiberal democracy ” where individual rights and the rule of law are undermined and mentioned only in the footnotes of history.
As it stands Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb which if unchecked would be triggered by the recklessness and callous desperation of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Signed
Rt. Hon John Gaul Lebo
Speaker, Cross River State House of Assembly & Chairman PDP Speakers Forum
