Jonathan Subverting Democracy, Says APC

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

Stephen Oni/Ilorin

The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Lai Muhammed has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of destroying democratic institutions and subverting the nation’s hard earned democracy, describing him as the country’s number one enemy.

He lamented that Jonathan has formed the habit of deploying soldiers to deal with political situations, citing the recent siege laid to the residence of the Acting Chief Judge of Adamawa State by the soldiers, deployment of soldiers in Ekiti state governorship election and the protection being given to minority lawmakers in Rivers and Edo states as a few examples of his impunity.

Warning that there might not be free and fair elections in 2015 if the trend continues unabated, Mohammed said: “all we are asking for is a level playing field for all parties. But this is a country where the office of a Chief Judge is taken over and people are not allowed to see him. In Edo state, seven legislators are being supported against the majority, while in Rivers state, five legislators out of 32, clearly  in minority, are being supported to remove the governor. All we are saying is that President Jonathan should tread gently and allow our nascent democracy to grow.”

Mohammed, who insisted that soldiers have no business in any election, urged Nigerians to rise to stop such impunity including the use of armed policemen for elections.

The APC chief spoke with journalists on Thursday at his Oro country home in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara state during  his annual Ramadan Lecture which was graced by the Kwara state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

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Accusing Jonathan of divisive tendencies, Mohammed noted that “this country has never been divided as we have it today; everything that our forefathers did to bring us together Jonathan has destroyed.

“This is a President that is bent on dividing us. He deployed soldiers in elections as if election is a war and was doing that when the abducted Chibok schoolgirls have not been rescued. This President is a symbol of disunity and a President must be seen as a symbol of unity.”

Mohammed said in spite of losing to PDP in Ekiti state, APC remains the strongest party in Nigeria today.

Expressing optimism that his party would form the government at the centre come 2015, Mohammed added that “we feel the pulse of Nigerians and we know that they are yearning for a change. That change is what APC stands for.”

He warned against rigging the 9 August governorship election in Osun state under whatever guise, saying that it would be foolhardy for anybody to attempt to rig the election.

On the plot to impeach Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state, Mohammed said “all hands are on deck to ensure that this does not happen,” adding that “Nyako is not begging anybody.”

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