….Abia political saga, an abuse of judicial process
…Ikpeazu still remains the Governor of Abia State in law
The coalition of human rights groups in Nigeria, under the aegis of Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice(CHRSJ) has disclosed on Monday that the men of Nigeria Armed Forces may struck again, if the present political leaders in the country failed to play the political game according its laid down rules with the creation of unnecessary and avoidable tension in the polity, describing the ongoing face-off between the Presidency under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly under the watch of Dr. Bukola Saraki as bad omen for development and growth of the country which might derail the survival of nation’s democracy.
The groups also described the ongoing political mess in Abia State as an abused of judicial process and self serving to create unnecessary political tension in the Eastern part of the country, saying that it was a grand plan of the ruling party to entrench one- party state in the country, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acted within the ambit of the ruling of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja but too in haste to issue the Certificate of Returns to Mr. Uche Ogar when they knew that no lower Court has final power to remove anybody from office because Supreme Court was a final arbiter in any matter, calling for the immediate withdrawal of Certificate of Returns issued to Mr. Ogar by the nation’s electoral umpire and all the parties should maintain status quo pending the exploration of the legal opportunities till the apex Court of the land(Supreme Court).
It added that Mr. Ogar was not qualified to benefit from the ruling of the Court because there was no evidence of Ogar’s participation in the said Abia State PDP’s Primary election in December 14th, 2014 as he failed to sign the election result of the said primary, noted that Ogar just mislead Justice Abang of the Abuja High Court during the judicial process, adding that Buhari led ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) was planning to declare State of Emergency in some opposition states, including Abia and Ekiti States, in the country in order to give leeway for ruling party to come to power in those States through backdoor.
It further stated that the current political leaders in the nation have failed the masses of the country and a situation which put Nigeria people in perpetual abject poverty, insisting that every government in the land had its cabal and the present administration of Buhari had its cabal led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF),Mr. David Babachir Lawal and Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai which they were acting the script of few leaders of the ruling party against the perceived opposition of Buhari’s government.
The groups including; The Christian Awareness Mission Group(CAMG),Passengers Fundamental Rights Group(PATRGIA),The Islamic Political Awareness Group(TIPAG),Centre for Social Justice and Equity of Nigeria(CESJEN),Veteran Groups for Operation Clean Crusade(VGOCC),Apata-Aiyeraye Social Political Volunteer Group(ASPVG), De-Mainstream
Independent Group(DMIG) and Coalition Against Illegal Arrest & Unlawful Detention (CAIA&UD).
Others were; Centre for Constitutional Rights and Counter Corruption Crusader, Save Lagos Group(SLG) ,The Conscience Mainstream(TCM),African Masses Voices for Survival (AMVS),The Christians Youths for the Peoples’ Rights and Development(CYPRD),Islamic Movement for Muslims’ Rights(IMMR),Divine Nigerians Liberators for Peoples’ Fundamental Rights(DNLPFR) and The Christians Volunteers Groups for Good Governance in Nigeria(TCVGGGN).
The groups spoke through the CHRSJ’s Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi,Alimi Sulaiman, after an emergency meeting of the Comrade Adeniyi,Alimi Sulaiman, after an emergency meeting of the Coalition on the “State of the Nation” in respect of present tension in the polity, noted that “instead of Presidency and National Assembly to put energy on how to ameliorate the suffering of Nigeria masses , the both arms of government are now rekindle their energy on who gets what position in the current political system”.
This was contained in a meeting message released by the CHRSJ’s Directorate of Media and Research, maintained that the socio-political and economic problems bedeviling the country presently called for serious external intervention of well meaning Nigerians, predicted that there might be end to democracy in Nigeria, if the current crop of political leaders were not trend softly and it would be disastrous for current hard earned democratic experiment to collapse mid-way.
According to the message: “If Military takes over the reign of power today,may God forbid bad occurrence. We are very sure that nobody will fight for the restoration of democracy back to the land again because pro-democracy groups and activists have been polarized already by the political class. Military men are not sleeping but keenly watch the political development of the country. Although, Military in government may not be fashionable again but the country political circumstances may make it fashionable again. By now, President Buhari should face governance by stopping unnecessary fight with other arms of government. Nigeria masses are yearning for good governance not excuses and brawl within the system.
“Presently, Buhari is driving the country democracy to the brick of collapse with the avoidable political tension orchestrated by presidency and its agents. National Assembly should be left alone to choose their leader because democracy is a game of numbers and calculations. By every standard today, Nigeria political leaders are writing letter for Military intervention as a result of current development in the polity that may derail our hard earned democracy. If Military men say ‘Fellow Nigerian’ today, nobody will resist”.
Comrade Sulaiman who further alleged that some cabals in the administration of Buhari had turned Nigeria into their political empire, stating that eighty-five percent(85%) of the States of the federation could not pay workers salaries, hunger in the land, clearance of Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Yusuff Buratai of corruption for having mansion outside the country while some other officers facing charge over similar matter, report of revolt by ranks and files of the Military officers against their bosses in various Commands over non-payment of allowances, Security agents face-off at the IDPs Camp over food items, unjust retirement in the security apparatus, political crisis in Abia State, Buhari Certificate saga, Judicial black-market injunctions and host of others could lead to military interregnum.
“There is an adage which says that wherever the two elephants fight, the grass in the area will suffer for it. The ongoing imbroglio between the Presidency and National Assembly replicate the adage which not for public interest. The present political leaders should recall that the Second Republic political crisis had never up this level before the Military junta of Muhamamdu Buhari struck and sent democratically elected President Sheu Shagari back home”, it added.
The meeting therefore called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mahmud Mohammed to investigate all the political cases going on in the land, particularly, the Abia State saga, insisting that Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu still remain the Governor of Abia State until the final arbiter, the Supreme Court made otherwise pronouncement on the matter.
