The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the House of Representatives has again called on the Federal Government to improve Nigeria’s democratic practice by respecting the rule of law and press freedom as well as immediately reversing the suspension of Twitter in the country.
The PDP Caucus had last week staged a walkout from the plenary proceedings of the Green Chamber when their attempt to prevail on the Federal Government to lift the suspension on Twitter was turned down by the Speaker of the House.
Equally, the Caucus in a statement to mark the June 12 Democracy Day reiterated the need to reverse the ban on Twitter, saying the day was a symbol of democratic freedom and supremacy of the people’s power.
In a statement signed by the Caucus Leader, Kingsley Chinda, the opposition lawmakers demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari administration place greater value on Nigerian lives and take decisive and pragmatic steps to end the avoidable carnages and deaths in the land by adopting mindset change programmes.
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They also asked Buhari to restrain the police and other security forces from further unleashing violence on unarmed youths and other peaceful protesters who choose to go out and exercise their rights.
“June 12 presents to our people another opportunity for introspection and to look back on the democratic journey of our nation, the road taken and not taken, and the sacrifices of citizens that make the day as historical as the memories that map both the journey and introspection,” the lawmakers said.
“If the sacrifices of our people make the celebration of our nascent democracy worthwhile, it is because our people have come to cherish the blood, tears and toil of those whose sacrifices make the enjoyment of their rights and freedoms essential to democracy.
“June 12 is not only about introspection, it is about renewing the commitments of all to the growth of democracy in our dear county, Nigeria, as it is about ensuring that our country is never again enveloped by darkness, hemmed to the abyss by the sinister forces that threaten our collective rights and freedoms.
“Never in our history have freedom become so threatened and endangered than now. Down the length and breadth of our country, people are not only being arrested and detained, but they are also denied the right to life guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. Homes have become mourning parlous,” they said.
The Caucus said June 12 represents hope but with its failed tripodal promises of security, economy and curbing corruption, the reality today is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has irredeemably failed the people of Nigeria.
The lawmakers expressed sadness over
the APC administration’s warped management of Nigeria’s economy which has given the current administration the inglorious distinction of being the only one in Nigeria’s history to bring lead economy into two cycles of recession.
“Also unprecedented is the fact that about 75% percent of Nigerian youth are either unemployed or under-employed partly because Nigeria, under APC, has become a nightmare for foreign investors while inflation, as well as the value of the Naira, are witnessing extremely sad historical levels, whilst the President lays the blame on the Youths.
“Let us all resolve to restore the hope that June 12 represents by driving away the notorious plague of All Promises Cancelled (APC) through democratic means in 2023. It is the only way that we can restore prosperity and hope for current and future generations in Nigeria,” they said.
