Admin l Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has alerted Nigerians on the current siege on Akwa Ibom House of Assembly by the security forces following the sack of three lawmakers of the All Progressive Congress(APC) by the court, warning that President Muhammadu Buhari should take full responsibility for any breakdown of law and order in the state.
The PDP, who raised the alarm at a press conference by its Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan said the siege on the house was a follow up to outburst of former Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who vowed that the APC will take over the state the same way Hitler overran Poland, swearing that “war shall see Warsaw and Warsaw shall see war” in Akwa-Ibom state.
The party added that since the statement was issued, Akpabio was never called to question by any of the security forces, and that it is now clear that the statement is an “approved prelude of a pre-meditated plot by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to initiate, facilitate and superintend a mayhem and bloodletting in the peaceful and developing Akwa-Ibom, irrespective of the huge human and material damage such could cause in the state“, the party said.
It also alluded to statement credited to APC chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who the party said has been under fire over allegations of corruption, but threatened and directly accused the erstwhile Akwa-Ibom Commissioner of Police, John Abang of refusing to carry out APC’s orders to provide security cover that will enable three legally sacked members of the 26-member legislature to effect a change of leadership.
“The PDP has information of how the APC hierarchy thereafter, ordered the Inspector General of Police, who in compliance, summarily redeployed CP John Abang and replaced him with a new CP, Hyelasinda Musa Kimo. It is needless to say that Mr. Abang spent just one month as CP and had to be removed for not carrying out APC’s atrocious directive.
“Since the arrival of CP Kimo, there has been mounting tension and escalated siege mentality in Akwa-Ibom state, particularly in the state legislature where thugs, backed by the police, have been invading the premises, disrupting legislative activities, harassing staff members and hindering them from performing their responsibilities”, the PDP said, adding that this recourse to self-help, against declarative judgment by competent court of jurisdiction sacking the three lawmakers, is a deliberate attempt to instigate violence, foist a reign of terror, cause confusion, create an impression that the state has become ungovernable.
“This is with a view to opening the way for a declaration of a state of emergency, which will enable them dismantle all democratic structures and forcefully take over control of the state. The PDP wants the Buhari Presidency and the APC to bear in mind that their plot to forcefully take over Akwa-Ibom or any other PDP-controlled state will be firmly resisted by the people of those states and such may lead to a crisis of unprecedented magnitude that has the capacity of truncating our hard-earned democracy.
“This is because the people of Akwa-Ibom state will never allow anybody, no matter how highly placed, to overrun their state or in any way attempt to foist an undemocratic leadership over them and no amount of intimidation or force will make them change this resolve.
“The PDP therefore charges President Buhari and the APC to be ready to take full responsibility for any breakdown of law and order as direct consequences of the people’s resistance to their plot to forcefully take over control of Akwa-Ibom or any of the PDP-controlled states”, the party said.
