•Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State
The Forum of former Speakers elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has declared support for the party’s move to take legal action against elected officials who defected to other parties while holding PDP mandates.
The forum said the recent defections by some PDP members to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was a deliberate attempt by the ruling party to weaken the country’s multiparty democracy by intimidating opposition figures into submission, reports Sunday Guardian.
The forum stated this in a communique read by its Chairman and former speaker Gombe State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Inuwa Garba, at the end of an emergency general meeting held in Abuja yesterday.
It warned of growing attempts by the APC to impose a one-party system through intimidation and infiltration of opposition parties.
Recall that following the detection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other elected officials of the state in the APC, the PDP Acting National Chairman, Ilyas Damagum, had said the party will sue the defectors with the intention to retrieve the party’s mandate from the governor and the lawmakers.
Reacting to the stance of the PDP leaders on the matter, Garba said, “The forum appreciates the party for taking legal action against defectors, especially those holding the party’s mandate in political offices.”
Garba, who currently represents Yamaltu/Deba Federal constituency in the 10th House of Representatives, noted that it is the duty of all political stakeholders to mount pressure on the APC-led government to uphold internal democracy and respect the independence of political parties.
According to him, attempts to undermine opposition platforms through subtle interference are dangerous to Nigeria’s democratic future.
He said, “Nigeria is a country of more than 200 million people, diverse in social, religious and ethnic diversions from all zones of this country. When a political party or government is trying to twist every political party to dance to its tune with intimidation or coercion to belong to one party in Nigeria, I don’t think that is good for Nigeria, and that is undemocratic.
“And looking at what is happening in the judiciary, it is like we have a government, we have a country, which the constitution is ineffective, because what steers the leadership of any government is rules and laws. We have a constitution in Nigeria, which to an extent is almost being sidelined by the key actors of the democracy itself. The difference between a military junta and democratic government is first of all the constitution.
“And once the constitution is considered insignificant, then democracy is heading to chaos.”
The forum also condemned the widespread insecurity in the country, particularly the killings in Benue, Plateau, and Borno States, and sympathised with the affected families.
Other recommendations in the communique included: “The forum appreciates the decision of the party to organize a national convention and asks them to stick to the date as scheduled.
“We in the forum ask the party as a matter of urgency to organize a national retreat to major stakeholders of the party across the country to discuss way forward.
“The forum calls on the opposition parties in the national assembly to be more united, organized in order to play their role as a viable opposition in Nigeria.
“The forum condemns in its entirety the spread of insecurity across the country especially the recent killings in Benue, Plateau, Borno states and other parts of the country.
“The forum condones with the government and families of the victims. The forum sympathise with Nigerians on the current serious economic hardship caused by the APC-led government and the forum called on the government to reconsider its economic policies in order to enhance the living standard of Nigeria.”
