Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has lamented what
he described as the “manipulation of vital institutions of democracy and
radical decline of democratic freedoms in Nigeria.”
A statement by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu, said the deputy senate
president made the assertion during the PDP National Stakeholders meeting,
which held at the Ekiti State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, on Monday.
Ekweremadu also said that the solidarity of all key organs and bodies of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remained with the Senator Ahmed
Makarfi-led PDP National Caretaker Committee despite the judgment of the
Court of Appeal on the party’s leadership tussle.
Such large-scale lack of support for Sherriff, he ethused, showed that “it
is not the hood that makes the monk”.
Reacting to the sealing of the International Conference Centre (ICC)
Abuja, the earlier announced venue of the PDP Stakeholders meeting by the
security agencies, Ekweremadu said that “such flagrant manipulation of
critical institutions of democracy was not only dangerous, but bad news
for the nation’s democracy.
“We are aware that all the institutions of democracy are being manipulated
and harassed in this country. The National Assembly and the press are not
left out. The INEC has been captured and now a part of the All
Progressives Congress (APC). Our judiciary is being insulted and assaulted
everyday. Their houses are being attacked very late at night and the
judges are being harassed.
“So, we are not surprised at what we are seeing today (sealing of meeting
venue). But what remains is for us to remain resolute”.
“If you look around this room, you will see a lot of people who are being
harassed, persecuted, and taken to court. What is their offence? They
claim they allegedly received stolen property, yet nobody has been
arraigned for the actual stealing. As a lawyer, I know that if you are
being arraigned for receiving stolen property, you must first of all
arraign the man who stole the property. That is not so in our own case. Is
that democracy?” he wondered.
“We have heard there was a judgment in Port Harcourt. Now, those who
benefitted from the judgment, where are they? Are they with our former
ministers? Are they with our National Assembly members? Are they with our
governors? Which organ of the party are they with or is with them? The
truth is that it is not the hood that makes the monk”.
Senator Ekweremadu also flayed the worsening economic conditions of the
country, noting that all promises by the ruling All Progressives Congress
(APC) had been observed in the breach.
He said: “They told us that one U.S dollar would be one naira when they
take over. Has that happened? Today, our currency is the worst currency in
the whole of Africa. Is that the type of democracy we looked forward to? I
can see a situation where the price of oil is going up and the value of
naira is going down. What type of economics is that?”
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