Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential aspirant, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, on Monday reacted angrily to the impeachment notice served on Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom by eight members of the State House of Assembly.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria expressed apprehension about the survival of democracy in Nigeria “considering the manner in which it is being held at gun point by the Buhari Administration”.
In a statement entitled: “Are we in a Democracy?” signed by his spokesman, Sola Atere, the former minster noted that to describe recent attacks on democracy as condemnable was an understatement.
He recalled the “hijacking” of the Ekiti State governorship seat by the APC-led government using 30,000 policemen besides other security forces deployed for just one election.
He also recalled the deployment of policemen on July 27 ostensibly to block the Benue State House of Assembly from performing its democratic duty of sitting in the legislative chamber.
Turaki recalled further the “scandalous siege laid to the official residences of the Senate President and his deputy, with the probability of blocking them from going to the Senate chambers and having them impeached as being alleged”.
He referred to another incident where policemen were deployed to the Ekiti State House of Assembly for what they referred to as ‘security reasons’ with the Speaker denying ever making such a request.
Turaki added: “Those in possession of the instrument of coercion have done it again with the storming of the Benue State House of Assembly on Monday, July 30 where they deny entry to the Speaker and 18 other members, while allowing entry to just seven members loyal to APC.
“These members in the minority were planning to impeach Governor Samuel Ortom in spite of the decided cases at the Supreme Court in the matters of former Oyo State governor, Rasheed Ladoja and ex-Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye where the apex court had declared such moves as illegal, null and void.
“This strong arm tactics in a democracy that had also been used to humiliate the judiciary, he said, have seriously dented the image of our democracy.”
Turaki called on men and women of goodwill and lovers of democracy all over the world to stand up and be counted to save the country from “sliding into an undeserved anarchy being engineered by the APC”.
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