President of the Senate, Bukola
Saraki, has reacted to a press release issued by the Nigeria Police over the
protest staged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja against the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Saraki’s reaction was contained
in a statement by Yusuph Olaniyonu, his Special Adviser on Media.
He said police made various forms
of spurious, unfounded and false claims about the protest in which they singled
out three senators, Saraki, Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Murray-Bruce, of the
many leaders of the PDP, including three Governors, a former Governor,
presidential aspirants and members of the national working committees, and
accused them of involvement “in the disturbance of public safety, unlawful
blockade of Shehu Shagari Way.”
He said: “After carefully reading
the Police statement, one cannot but describe the claims made in it as
laughable, crude and and another low point in the posture of the police against
the opposition in the country.
“In exercise of their
constitutional rights of assembly, expression and movement, leaders of the PDP
decided to stage a peaceful procession from the party’s campaign office on
Ibrahim Babangida Way to INEC and Police Headquarters. The procession consisted
of the Senate President, the party national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus,
presidential aspirants, members of the National Assembly, Governors of Ekiti
and Sokoto States. Later, the Governors of Taraba and Gombe States joined the
procession,
“The purpose was to express the
opposition of the PDP to the manner in which the electoral body and the
security agencies had been colluding with the ruling All Progressives Congress
(APC) to manipulate election results and subvert the will of the people, as
evidenced by the conduct of the gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun
State. We wanted to send a clear signal that such official subversion of the
will of the people in favour of the APC should not be repeated in the 2019
elections.
“At the INEC secretariat, the
procession spent over 40 minutes where the various leaders addressed the crowd
in the presence of two national commissioners of INEC, including the one in
charge of legal matters, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu. The two INEC commissioners
equally responded to the complaints raised by the PDP leaders. It was a
civilised, frank and enlightened exchange, devoid of any rancour.
“The procession then headed
towards the Police Headquarters while being hailed on the streets by ordinary
Nigerians who came out to cheer the leaders standing in an open van. From the
Eagles Square end, the procession was on the other side of the road going to
Police Headquarters. The procession did not even get to the point where it will
turn to the side where the Police Force Headquarters is located when the police
rained tear gas on the people. They deliberately targettted the open vans in
which the Senate President and other VIPs were standing.
“The procession quickly diverted
to the Area 11 Junction leading to FCDA. The diversion was done to avoid a
repeat of the 2003 event in which a similar tear gassing event led to the death
of a former Senate President, Senator Chuba Okadigbo.
“Let it be known that the
hostile, brutal, needlesss, tactless and uncivil response of the Police under
the present leadership of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris to the peaceful, lawful and
justified procession was in contrast to how the same police responded to a
similar protest by the opposition in 2014.
“In 2014, the protesters then led
by the Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), the candidate of the opposition
party, were not attacked. They were tolerated and their grievances listened to
by the police leadership. In 2014, it was the same Nigeria Police as we have
today. The difference is the temperament and democratic credentials of the then
administration, in general, and that of the Police leadership, in particular.
“The fabrications by the Police
as contained in their press statement only show the new police leadership as
mere jesters trying to hone their skills in comic script-writing. Every move of
the PDP procession today was recorded by the media – Television, print, radio
and online -, citizens, members of the civil society and the international
community. These independent observers know that nothing is far from the truth
than the claims made by the Police in their statement.
“It should be noted that the
Police under Idris are simply setting the stage for another onslaught on
members of the Nigerian Senate and that is why they singled out the Senate
President and two other Senators as the people being invited and accused of all
these false charges.
“It is clear that the Idris-led
Police are intent on turning Nigeria into a police state and destroying members
of the opposition at all cost and that that is why they specialize in framing
up leaders of the opposition and other outspoken legislators on false charges.
“This fresh attempt will fail.
The invited Senators and their party will exercise their right at all times and
in all cases. We know that Nigeria has not turned to Banana Republic and we
will not allow the Police under the present leadership to turn it to one, no
matter the expertise for evil being displayed by its top personnel.”
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