Pro-Buhari group, BMO, calls for the shutdown of Amnesty Intl office in Nigeria

Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has called on Amnesty International to immediately leave Nigeria.

It accused the international organisation of calling on Nigerians to revolt against President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, describing the alleged act as an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty.

This was contained in a statement on Thursday signed by BMO’s chairman, Niyi Akinsiju, and secretary, Cassidy Madueke

The group said, “The social media post made by the Amnesty International Nigeria verified Twitter account calling for a revolution in Nigeria is an attack on Nigeria’s sovereignty and democracy.

“This latest assault on the sovereignty of Nigeria, typically, comes from this self same group that had continually veiled its unremitting political attacks on Nigeria’s Federal Government on promoting human rights, the Buhari Media Organization has said.”

According to BMO, Amnesty International cannot in good conscience continue to “operate in Nigeria after its local office publicly called for a revolution against a government that just secured an overwhelming mandate for a second term in office.”

It went further to say, “This call by Amnesty International, Nigeria, consciously seeking the overthrow of a democratically elected government is nothing short of treason against the Nigerian nation. This is grave and a definite breach of international conventions, we, therefore, demand that the Amnesty International Office in Nigeria be shut down.

“They have sponsored opposition elements to conduct protests, they have promoted fake news and cooked-up allegations against the Nigerian government and its institutions, now they have categorically called for a revolution against the Nigerian state. This is what we have seen done by the opposition; if Amnesty International wants to take on the Nigerian government in this way, they must know that they cannot do so from the standpoint of a pretentious human rights protection group, rather, they should close down their office in Nigeria and register duly with INEC as a political party.”

BMO also attacked Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in the last election, and other Nigerians calling for revolution against Buhari’s government.

It said, “The so-called ‘revolutionaries’ are a rainbow coalition of misguided Nigerians led by Omoyele Sowore whose political career ended almost as soon as it began and is looking for a way back into national consciousness.

“This is an individual who couldn’t even hold together a small political party for up to two years but is claiming that an election in which he won his polling unit and had 33,953 votes across the country was a sham.

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“Now, this failed politician who was roundly rejected by the Nigerian electorate is threatening a nationwide anarchy in response to the expressed will of the masses who gave President Buhari an overwhelming mandate for a second term in office.

“So he came up with the idea of a revolution or what his group called ‘days of rage protests’, but all they could come up with in their declaration of action is nothing short of political jabbering.”

BMO then urged younger people not to be taken in by the antics of “misguided Nigerians because the plan is spurned by selfish interest.”

By Ebere Ndukwu. ..

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