Nigeria under Buhari degenerating into a tyrannical state –PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the government of President Muhammadu Buhari of becoming more intolerant to dissenting voices and behaving as if Nigerians are no longer citizens but subjects of a conquest.

The party said that Nigeria under President Buhari “is awfully degenerating into a despotic state where citizens are no longer safe as long as they hold opinions contrary to those in power, in spite of their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.”

The party was reacting to the response by the Presidency to the petition it filed to the United Nations (UN), detailing alleged gross violation of human rights, mass killings, state sponsored violence, persecution of opposition, subversion of democratic tenets and large scale corruption by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government.

The Presidency had mocked the PDP and described its petition to the UN as being ‘comical’.

But addressing a press a conference on Tuesday, the PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, frowned at the response by the presidency, drawing attention of Nigerians and the international community to the import of the response.

He said, “It is incontrovertible that our petition which was signed by our National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, embodies the pains, anguish, mood, wishes and voice of the generality of Nigerians across board, particularly the victims of extra-judicial killings, state instigated violence, arrests and detentions, economic hardship occasioned by large scale corruption and government incompetence.

“You are already aware of the international outcry against the impunity and high-handedness for which various reputable international agencies, including the Amnesty International (AI), Transparency International and the US Department of State had issued reports exposing these atrocities, while exhaustively indicting the Buhari administration.

“The world was however shocked when the Buhari Presidency, in a brash show of power and siege mentality, arrogantly dismissed the issues raised by the PDP and the international agencies as ‘comical’ and even went ahead to issue new threats to opposition and dissenting voices in our country.

“This gruesome response by the Buhari Presidency on critical issues bordering on direct violation of constitutionally guaranteed welfare, personal liberty and lives of citizens is completely reprehensible and further demonstrates the level of official arrogance, high-handedness, dictatorial proclivities and spurn with which the Buhari Presidency and the APC hold our citizens and the international community.

“This obstinate position of the Presidency at a time it should be showing remorse, retracing its steps, apologising and making effort to end the atrocities, clearly shows that what obtains in our country now is a deliberate enthronement of official overbearingness and intolerance to dissent, as if Nigerians are no longer citizens but subjects of a conquest.

“We invite all Nigerians and the international community to note that since the filing of our petition to the UN for which Nigerians across board have reposed hope, there have been escalation of hostilities, direct threats, harassment and intensified persecution of key opposition members, including our National Chairman.

READ ALSO: It’ll be unethical for anyone to reveal Buhari’s illness –Presidency

“PDP notes that Nigeria under President Buhari is awfully degenerating into a despotic state where citizens are no longer safe as long as they hold opinion contrary to those in power, in spite of their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.”

The party also at the press conference raised concerns over President Buhari’s health, and noted that the Presidency in its statement on the matter confirmed that President Buhari is unwell, ailing and unfit to attend to state matters, resulting to his latest journey to the United Kingdom for medical attention.

“This admission, though belated and coming after intense public pressure, has now put to rest, speculations on the health status of the President, as well as his attendant inability to effectively govern,” PDP said.

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now