Press statement from the PDP...
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) at its meeting today thoroughly considered a number of very
important issues pertaining to the state of affairs in our nation.
The NWC brings to the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari to some
disturbing development in the polity which, if not nipped in the bud,
might significantly affect our democracy and stability as a nation
negatively, and that is the growing and unwarranted intrusion of some
over-zealous security operatives on issues bordering purely on politics.
In particular, the NWC wishes to draw the attention of the President to
the continued intimidation, harassment as well as the hounding, arrest
and detention of Electoral Officers and members of election tribunals by
operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Rivers,
Akwa-Ibom and other PDP states.
The NWC notes that this unfortunate development has been the case since
the appointment of the new Director General of the DSS, Alhaji Lawal
Musa Daura, whom we learnt was a critical intelligence stakeholder of
the APC as a card-carrying member of that party during the campaigns.
This is ungodly and unacceptable.
We do hope that in his new job, the Director General of DSS is not
mixing issues on the APC presidential candidate and the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, hence the need for Mr. President to rein
him in as the development is capable of eroding the cherished
independence of the judiciary and the electoral commission, a sine qua
non for a virile democracy, which guarantees our unity and stability as a
nation.
Similarly, we urge Mr. President to take a critical look at the issue of
the appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as Acting Chairman of INEC for
which our party has severally raised some salient issues why she is not
suitable for that position. It is incontrovertible that Mrs. Zakari by
virtue of her blood relationship with Mr. President cannot preside over
the affairs of an Independent National Electoral Commission.
Nigeria belongs to all of us irrespective of political, religious and
ethnic affiliation and as a responsible political party we shall not
fold our hands and watch while our nation drift along dangerous line.
Furthermore, the NWC commends and congratulates the PDP caucuses in the
Senate and the House of Representatives on the smooth emergence of the
Minority leadership in the National Assembly. We note that the process
was without any interferences whatsoever from the leadership of our
great party in keeping with the dictates of the independence of the
legislature.
Finally, the NWC deliberated on the state of the party in Ekiti State
and resolved that it only recognizes the state Exco led by Chief Idowu
Faleye. The NWC however summons all critical stakeholders in the party
administration in Ekiti State to a meeting with the national leadership
on the issues in the state chapter.
Signed:
Prince Uche Secondus
Acting National Chairman
