Politics

Emergency power: Buhari heading for authoritarianism, PDP says

Published

8 years ago

August 24, 2016

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The Ekiti State chapter of the PDP, has described as an authoritarian demand, the intended move to seek emergency powers by President Muhammadu Buhari from the National Assembly in order to manage the economy.

The party said such a demand shows a “clear manifestation of the clueless and confused nature” of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government under the leadership of President Buhari.

According to the party, such move is an “embarrassing and authoritarian demand” and one of the ways APC wants to employ to hold Nigerians by the jugular, using state powers.

It added that the demand remains a pointer that the Buhari-led government cannot deliver the change it promised Nigerians and are now looking for excuses to justify its poor performance.

The party stated this in a statement signed by its state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday.

“Is it not dastardly for the President to say he is seeking emergency powers for his administration to handle the economy?

“Then, what are the duties of those in the Finance Ministry and other sectors involved in the day-to-day management of the economy? If they are unproductive, why not send them away?” the party asked in the statement.

The party related what is presently happening in the country to what happened in the Second Republic when most of the states then, used to receive zero allocation from the Federal Government.

It said, “The president then didn’t throw away the constitution to solve the problem; but rather constituted proactive economic team that brought the situation under control before the then General Muhammadu Buhari overthrew the government and dismantled the process, fostering hardship on Nigerians.”

PDP then called on Nigerians not to allow any attempt by Buhari to turn the country into a republic where tyranny and dictatorship is supreme.

It advised the Federal Government to reassess itself and seek protection from the constitution, instead of seeking for a shortcut that would “bastardise democratic norms and tenets.”

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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