Press Statement
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vehemently condemns the
extra-judicial execution of an innocent Nigerian by the security
operatives in Warri, Delta state, on Thursday.
The PDP also condemns reported brutalization of Nigerians in many parts
of the country by security forces under the guise of enforcing the
lockdown order to check the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in our country.
The PDP insists that such acts of violence against our citizens cannot
be condoned or justified under any guise whatsoever.
The party calls on Nigerians to hold the Buhari Presidency and the APC
responsible for the Warri killing as well as the reported brutalization
of Nigerians, noting that such ugly situations would have been averted
if the APC controlled Federal Government had heeded wise counsel by the
PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians and made adequate provisions for
social palliatives that cushioned the economic challenges of the
lockdown.
The APC government had failed to shelve its political interests and heed
good suggestions to implement calls to cut taxes, reduce fuel price and
use the states and local governments to channel essential commodities to
poor Nigerians whose means of survival comes only from their daily
struggle on the streets and markets.
The APC government has also failed to constitute an Eminent Nigerian
Group to administer the palliatives and eliminate all political and
bureaucratic bottlenecks that are now encumbering easy flow of social
panaceas, leading to poor Nigerians coming out to seek for survival on
the streets.
The PDP further blamed the APC and its administration for emboldening
acts of violence and extra-judicial killings by security operatives
following their failure to bring perpetrators of such acts to book as
even detailed in reports by various reputable international
organizations including Amnesty International (AI), Transparency
International (TI), European Union (EU), United States Department of
State.
This is in addition to APC’s tacit endorsement of President Muhammadu
Buhari’s usual directive to security operatives to “deal ruthlessly
with” sundry offenders. Such statement is capable of being translated as
license for cruelty and abuse of human rights by over-zealous security
operatives.
The PDP invites Nigerians to continue to note how the APC has remained
silent and failed to join in the call for provision of adequate social
palliatives to the citizens as well as in demanding that killers be
brought to book.
Moreover, the APC has not made any meaningful suggestion towards efforts
to check the spread of COVID-19 in our country.
Such anti-people stance by the APC speaks volumes of the standpoint of
the party on issues related to the wellbeing of Nigerians.
The PDP however stands with Nigerians and calls on the Military High
Command to commence an extensive investigation into the Warri killing as
well as other reported brutalization of Nigerians during the COVID-19
pandemic lockdown and bring all the culprits to book.
Furthermore, our party calls on Nigerians to remain calm and not despair
over the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated challenges, noting that
with the concerted effort of all, our nation will soon defeat the
pandemic.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary
