Ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari’s bilateral meeting with United States President, Donald Trump on Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appealed to the U.S to task President Buhari on constitutional and human rights violations in Nigeria under his watch.
In a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, called on international organisations, particularly the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take note of the horrendous situation in Nigeria and spare no energy in intervening to stem the trend.
The main opposition party also expressed displeasure over Buhari’s penchant for de-marketing the country whenever he is on official assignment abroad.
“Nigeria is bleeding under President Buhari and the world must come to the rescue. We also pray that President Buhari will not use the occasion of his visit to President Trump to further de-market our nation as he has always done whenever he is outside the country on official assignment.
“Nigeria is facing a perilous time; our constitution has been technically suspended; we have now become a Police State; governance has reverted to the nightmares of the 1984 era, when draconian leaders held sway and forcefully held our people under the grips of military Decree 2.
“Currently, there is a total collapse of respect for constitutionally guaranteed personal freedom; there is no regard for natural course of justice, life in Nigeria is gradually returning to the state of nature and there is fear everywhere,” Ologbondiyan said.
Recall that the United States Department of State had last week issued a damning assessment of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari in its 2017 Country Report on Human Rights.
In the 48-page report posted on the website of the State Department, the U.S. government said impunity remained widespread at all levels of government in Nigeria, pointing out that the Buhari-led administration lacked transparency.
The report accused Nigerian government officials of engaging in massive corruption, adding that corruption was not only limited to Nigerian government officials but very rampant among security agencies.
The PDP listed highly placed individuals who have been hounded, with outright breach of their fundamental rights over trumped-up charges to include Senate President Bukola Saraki; Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, senators Aliyu Wamakko, Rabiu Kwankwaso, David Mark, Dino Melaye, Albert Akpan, Godswill Akpabio, Danjuma Goje, Peter Nwaoboshi, Isah Misau and Shehu Sani as well as former governors Sule Lamido, Ibrahim Shema, Babangida Aliyu among others.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
