By Bologi M. Maikudi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the placement of a travel ban on some prominent Nigerians by the Federal Government.
The party described the action as a “draconian step” targeted at opposition parties and those perceived to be averse to Buhari’s re-election bid.
Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, had announced on Saturday that at least 50 Nigerians being probed for alleged corruption have been placed on a watch list.
Reacting via a statement, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive is a “clampdown on the country’s democratic order and an overthrow of rights of citizenry as guaranteed by the 1999 constitution”.
“We hope this is not a ploy to harm certain eminent Nigerians on the claims of resisting travel restrictions,” the PDP said in the statement.
“The whole world can now see how fascism is fast taking over our democracy and judicial system and how the Buhari administration, by fiat, has directly ordered that citizens be secretly trailed.
“Their movements and financial transactions are restricted by government agencies, without recourse to due process of the law.”
Ologbondiyan said the presidency has gone into “panic mode” since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the PDP presidential candidate.
He called on the international community to monitor the situation and “take note should any harm befall any opposition leader, key members of the business community and religious leaders across the country”.
Full Statement:
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejects in its entirety, attempt by the Buhari Presidency to foist a full-blown fascism on our country, beginning with the placement of illegal travel restrictions on Nigerians.
The party said this draconian step is clearly targeted at members of the opposition parties, perceived political enemies of President Muhammadu Buhari, well-meaning Nigerians, including members of the business community, religious leaders, former political leaders and traditional rulers, who are perceived to be averse to President Buhari’s re-election bid.
The PDP further notes that this “decree” is a direct clampdown on our democratic order and an overthrow of rights of our citizenry as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
We hope this is not a ploy to harm certain eminent Nigerians on the claims of resisting travel restrictions.
The whole world can now see how fascism is fast taking over our democracy and judicial system and how the Buhari administration, by fiat, has directly ordered that citizens be secretly trailed, their movements and financial transactions restricted by government agencies, without recourse to due process of the law.
While the PDP notes that the Buhari Presidency has gone into panic mode since the popular emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as PDP Presidential candidate and the spontaneous jubilation his emergence has evoked across the country, the party maintains that the resort to total clamp down on the opposition and our supporters will be totally unacceptable.
What this means is that all Nigerians, particularly, opposition members, members of the business community and religious leaders, have become endangered and stand the risk of state violence under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
The PDP therefore alerts the international community to hold the Buhari Presidency responsible should any harm befall any opposition leader, key members of the business community and religious leaders across the country as we march towards the 2019 general elections.
Finally, the repositioned PDP invites all to note how the APC and the Buhari Presidency are pushing our nation to the brinks but restates that no amount of intimidation, harassment and foisting of fascism will deter Nigerians from their determination to rally on the platform of the PDP to oust the incompetent, anti-people and repressive APC administration, come 2019.
This nightmare must end on May 29, 2019!
