The Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday accused President Muhammadu
Buhari of violating several sections of the Constitution.
The party said it arrived at this conclusion after its review of the
political developments in the country since the All Progressives
Congress took office at the center.
The opposition party, which ruled Nigeria for 16 years before it was
defeated by the APC during the last elections, therefore, said it was
alerting Nigerians and the international community that all was not
well with the nation's democracy.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a
statement in Abuja on Sunday, said the PDP's fear was derived from
some alleged actions of President Buhari's government that, he said,
undermine critical institutions of democracy, emasculate the
constitution and ostensibly set the stage for a return of dictatorial
regime in Nigeria.
Metuh said despite claims of being a converted democrat, President
Buhari had allowed, under his watch, an incessant violation of
sections of the nation's Constitution, a development, he said, that
has become a huge threat to democracy and the stability of the nation.
He said in the statement, "For instance, how can this government
explain the fact that a major institution of democracy like the
Independent National Electoral Commission has been deliberately
debilitated to the extent that it can no longer perform its statutory
responsibility for lack of quorum?
"Nigerians are aware that before his tenure expired on June 30th, the
former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, wrote to President Buhari,
intimating him of the fact that the tenure of majority of the national
commissioners will expire before August, yet the President never
acted, resulting in the present crisis in the commission, where more
than 80 per cent out of the statutory 13 members remain vacant, even
as eleven states of the federation are also without Resident Electoral
Commissioners.
"We note that this anomaly is in addition to the uncertainty
surrounding the controversial appointment of an Acting Chairman of
INEC in the person of a national commissioner whose tenure has since
expired, not minding that there is no provision for an acting chairman
of INEC in our constitution.
"This development has completely enervated the commission from
carrying out its functions as stipulated in part 1 of 3rd schedule of
the 1999 Constitution as amended, thereby putting our electoral system
under severe threat."
Metuh wondered why President Buhari should wait to be urged before he
upholds his responsibility of forwarding replacements to the Senate
for confirmation so as to enable the commission effectively carry out
its constitutional responsibilities to the nation.
He alleged that this could this be a ploy by the APC-led government to
use a decapitated INEC to conduct the forthcoming governorship
elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States to pave the way for their planned
"capture" of the two PDP states.
He said, "Is the weakening of INEC not part of the plot to use the
commission to put the PDP in precarious position in various electoral
tribunals to the advantage of the APC?
"Furthermore, Nigerians are witness to the undue interferences of the
Department of State Services in the activities of election tribunals
in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and other PDP states, where electoral officers
are being harassed, intimidated and detained, ostensibly to influence
judgments against the PDP."
Metuh added that what was of grave concern to his party was the
adamant stance of this administration in running a government without
the statutory components of a full cabinet as prescribed by the
Constitution.
When contacted, APC Spokesman, Lai Mohammed, said he would not react
to Metuh's statement, saying the "PDP and its dwindling members know
that their market has closed."
-PUNCH
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