Atiku Abubakar, ex Vice-President, has criticized what he described as the rough methods the President Goodluck Jonathan’s government is using to weaken and humiliate alleged political enemies.
The former Vice President reacting to the incident at the National Assembly on Thursday said in a statement by his media office that the ‘siege mentality’ of the president’s administration poses serious threats to country’s democracy, the rule of law and the separation of powers as preserved in the 1999 constitution as edited.
Atiku said, “Obviously, the emergency rule has failed to stem the unrest. The Federal Government must work with, rather than against those who understand and have been elected by the people to govern.”
According to him the supposed rough show of power by Jonathan and his agents foreshadows gloomy signals for the future of our democracy, which was not a surprise as president did not partake in the pricy fight that brought our current democracy into existence.
He said the behaviour of the PDP-led government to Tambuwal was not decent and adequate under a president that has dedicated himself to uphold the rule of law.
“This crisis highlights the absolute failure of the current PDP’s idea of government: arrogant, indifferent and incompetent,” Atiku said.
He lamented that abuse of power by using state agents to weaken, threaten and humiliate alleged opponents by the president was not only capable of heating the society on alarming scale, but also carried the risks of separating and politicising security operatives in the country.
The ex-Vice-President counselled President Jonathan to practice what he speaks by not heating up the society, a charge he always directs at opposition politicians.
“It is not too late, however, for President Jonathan to pull the plug on these assaults to our democracy because it is inconceivable that the show of shame at the National Assembly is what he wanted as a birthday present.”
Nigerian security forces have fired tear gas inside parliament, just before a crucial debate on emergency rule in the Boko Haram-ridden Northeast.
The police were trying to stop House of Representatives speaker Aminu Tambuwal from entering.
After all senate leader David Mark ordered both chambers to close until next week.
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