- Threatens legal action, civil protests
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to refrain from harassing foreign envoys and other members of the international community for speaking in defence of Nigerians and their constitutional rights.
This is as the party has threatened to drag the APC-led government to court over its suspension of Twitter and the directive that broadcasting stations should stop patronising the social media platform.
Also, the PDP warned the ruling party to shun actions capable of making Nigeria a pariah nation amid the “current downturn of our national life under their misrule.”
According to the main opposition party, “Nigeria cannot afford being declared a pariah nation” just because the global community is speaking up against President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration’s infringement on the rights of Nigerians.
A statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, the Party’s National Publicity Secretary said; “The PDP’s position is predicated on the summoning of the envoys of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada among others by the Federal Government, for standing on the side of Nigerians in criticizing the unwarranted suspension of Twitter in our country.”
Ologbondiyan’s statement said; “The PDP is alarmed by the development which smacks of intolerance towards the international community as obtained in Idi Amin’s dictatorial Uganda of 1971 to 1979.
“Our party notes that there is no law or statute that prohibits foreign envoys from speaking out against clear violation of internationally enshrined freedom of expression and right to social interactions as provided by Twitter and other social media platforms.”
Insisting that defending “such rights is a fundamental duty which envoys owe their host nations and the international community”, the PDP further cautioned; “any harassment or assault on foreign envoys place them at great risk as well as pitch our nation against other members of the international community.”
Accusing the APC administration of “overheating our polity leading to escalation of insecurity, killings, bloodletting and violence in the country”, the PDP recalled that ahead of the 2019 general elections, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State had “threatened that some of the foreign election monitors would be returned to their countries in body bags.
“Our party therefore demands that the Federal Government should listen to the voice of reason, end its misrule and desist from infringing on the rights of Nigerians as being witnessed in the illegal and vexatious ban on Twitter.”
On its threat to challenge the Twitter ban in court, the party Spokesman said; “Already, the PDP is perfecting processes for a legal action against the APC-led Federal Government’s suspension of Twitter and the directive to broadcasting stations to pull out of Twitter.”
“In the same vein, our party is considering a directive to all our wards, local governments and state structure to commence peaceful civil protests against suspension of Twitter, the spate of insecurity and the failures of the Buhari administration”, the PDP said.
