COVID-19: PDP suspects evil intension in Gbajabiamila’s bill, insists on public hearing

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it suspected a sinister move in the alleged plan to pass a bill on infectious disease control at the House of Representatives without public hearing.

The party said it was rejecting the supposed moves by the Reps Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to pass the ‘Infectious Disease Control Bill, being sponsored by him, without recourse to the laid down procedure of public hearing to allow Nigerians participate in the process of making the law.

“The party describes such moves to shut out Nigerians from public debate on such a crucial legislation as ominous and raises suspicions of sinister objectives as the nation combats the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, PDP said in a statement on Saturday by its national spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan.

“This is especially as the bill seeks to prescribe clauses on critical issues, particularly that of vaccination, which has become globally controversial in the face of raging conspiracy theories on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The PDP is alarmed that such approach is already worsening public mistrust in the polity as well as heightening apprehension over the intentions of the presiding officers of the House of Representatives and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration at this critical time.

“The PDP insists that Nigerians must be carried along in the decision making process of such a critical legislation, which seeks to make provisions that will directly affect their health as well as overall individual and collective safety and wellbeing,” the party further said.

It stressed that anything short of that would be counter productive and capable of breeding an avoidable public resistance, especially given the deepening fear and anxiety in the polity over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PDP therefore counseled the Speaker of the House of Representative to immediately call himself to order and allow for public hearing on the bill.

READ ALSO: Ganduje reverses ease of COVID-19 lockdown in Kano following backlash

“Our party also urges our lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and Senate to stand firm against the passage of bill until there is a public hearing to get the inputs of Nigerians into the proposed law,” the party added.

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