Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), a party that was joined recently by former President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently wade into the face-off between the Senate and the Inspector General of Police, with a view to arresting the situation.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Anayo Arinze, the party warned that the war of attrition between Nigerian legislature and the Police is taking a more dangerous dimension adding that if President Buhari refuses to intervene urgently, it portends danger to the country’s democratic experiment.
The party lamented that the integrity of the Nigeria’s Senate President and the entire National Assembly is being reduced to rubbles on trump-up, unsubstantiated allegation of aiding or sponsoring robbers in his state.
“It is only in Nigeria that security operatives can frame-up highly placed public servants, using criminals just to get them for expressing their views on national issues and nothing happens,” the party said.
ADC said except the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) wants to truncate Nigeria’s democracy; President Buhari must wade into the senate – IGP saga which is constituting a major threat to democracy. President must not allow the ugly trend of framing up opposition voices just to silent them to continue.
“Today it is the turn of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki. He is being accused of sponsoring armed robbers despite the fact that he is the head of the legislature and the third high ranking political office holder, a two- term governor of his state, a former bank owner, an overseas-trained medical practitioner as well as the son of a former Senate Leader, late Senator Olusola Saraki. So how much will he make from aiding armed robbers that he has not seen in life? Again, we wonder how the police and other security agencies want the international community to view Nigerian leaders.â€
While recounting the experience of one the legislators, Senator Dino Melaye, in the hands of security operatives, ADC said the senator is yet to recover fully from injuries sustained during the arrest by the Police.
The party also recalled the incident in Kaduna State where the building housing the secretariat of a faction of the APC state chapter led by Senator Hunkuyi was pulled down.
