The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, to take judicial note of the boast by President Muhammadu Buhari affirming and approving his violation of fundamental rights of Nigerians during his regime as military head of state.
Specifically, the main opposition party accused President Buhari of over-heating the polity with inflammatory and anti-democratic comments.
According to the party, the President’s utterances have promoted state sponsored violence, sectional bloodletting and resentment; exacerbated hatred, abuse of rights and brazen violation of constitution and democratic order.
A statement on Wednesday by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: “Nigerians were shocked when President Buhari, with relish, boasted that ‘when I was in uniform, younger and rather ruthless, I got from President downward, I locked them up in Kirikiri. I said, you’re guilty except you prove yourself innocent’.
“Whereas our constitution and all tenets of democracy and justice across the world, hold all citizens innocent until proven guilty in court of competent jurisdiction, President Buhari promotes the otherwise and feels favourably disposed to acts that suspends our constitution and imposition of military diktat.
“This particular hate speech by President Buhari has finally confirmed the underlining impetus behind the prevailing executive highhandedness, the trumped-up charges against the opposition, persecution of political opponents, flagrant disobedience to court orders, brazen harassment, arrests, molestations, illegal detention and extra-judicial execution of innocent Nigerians as already catalogued by the PDP and international bodies, including the United States Department of State.
“These include the horrendous bloodletting and killings in various parts of our country, particularly in Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa, Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Abia, Anambra, among others.
“Furthermore, the world now know why appointees of President Buhari have continued to hold the institution of democracy, particularly the National Assembly and the courts, in utter disdain, in addition to the continuous harassment of federal legislators and intimidation of judicial officers.
“Nigeria has not been more divided than it is today under President Buhari and unguarded comments, which have continued to overheat the polity and set citizens against one another”.
The PDP therefore called on the United Nations, the ICC and lovers of democracy to join hands in condemning the trend, which it said, is a threat to ‘our hard-earned democracy and erode the freedom our people’.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
