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 National Chairman of the Party, Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, who spoke 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. The latest victim of this totalitarianism, 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. 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.”
The PDM further chronicled the barrage of attacks 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,” Ibrahim stated.
He added that, “President Jonathan should spend his energy fighting 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”.
PDM further stressed that, “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. ”
“We call on all men and women of good intention to come together to support and fight this 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.
“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,” Ibrahim concluded emphatically.
