Atiku says Jonathan, A Threat to Democracy

 
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has slammed the crude methods the

Jonathan administration is using to harass and humiliate perceived

political enemies.
Reacting to the incident at the National Assembly on Thursday when heavily

armed security operatives prevented Speaker Aminu Tambuwal from gaining

access to the House to preside over the deliberation on the extension of

emergency rule in the North-East, the former Vice President said in a

statement by his media office that the “siege mentality” of the Jonathan

administration poses grave threats to Nigeria's democracy, the rule of law

and the separation of powers as enshrined in the 1999 constitution as

amended.
“Obviously, the emergency rule has failed to stem the unrest. The Federal

Government must work with, rather than against those who understand and

have been elected by the people to govern,” Atiku counselled.

According to Atiku, this crude display of power by the President and his

agents portends ominous signals for the future of our democracy, which is

not a surprise as President Jonathan did not participate in the costly

struggle that brought our present democracy into being.

He said the behaviour of the PDP-led government towards Tambuwal was not

decent and acceptable under a president that has committed himself to

uphold the rule of law. “This crisis highlights the absolute failure of

the current PDP's idea of government: arrogant, indifferent and

incompetent,” Atiku asserted.
The former Vice President regretted that abuse of power by using state

agents to harass, intimidate and humiliate perceived opponents by the

President was not only capable of heating the polity on frightening scale,

but also carried the risks of polarizing and politicizing security

operatives in the country.
He reminded the President that he was elected to uphold the Constitution

of the country, and not to use power arbitrarily against political

opponents.
The former Vice President advised President Jonathan to practice what he

preaches by not heating up the polity, an accusation he always directs at

opposition politicians.
“What is happening at the National Assembly taken together with what

unfolded today (Thursday) at the Ekiti House of Assembly is totally

strange. It is not the democracy we fought for; for which many of our

compatriots paid for with their lives. These free-riders should not be

allowed to destroy what others built with their sweat and blood.

“It is not too late, however, for President Jonathan to pull the plug on

these assaults to our democracy because it is inconceivable that the show

of shame at the National Assembly is what he wanted as a birthday

present,” Atiku said.
 
 
 
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