The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of engaging in total deceit by saying the democratic structure in the states where he has declared a state of emergency will be kept intact, when in fact he has grabbed power in the states and castrated democracy there.
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party quoted from the president’s speech to the nation on May 14th, thus: “The details of this proclamation will be transmitted to the National Assembly in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. But in the meantime, let me make it clear that within the purview of this proclamation, the governors and other political office holders in the affected states will continue to discharge their constitutional responsibilities.”
It however said the gazette published by the Federal Government on the declaration showed that the president has virtually eviscerated the democratic structure and stripped the political office holders of their constitutional responsibilities, thereby reversing the assurance he gave in his speech on the declaration.
ACN also warned that unless this “despotic tendency” is checked, nothing prevents the president, in the name of the ongoing fight against Boko Haram, from extending this power grab to other states that catch his fancy.
“This is dangerous and must be checked in the interest of our democracy,” the party said.
ACN said that in accordance with the gazette, the governors and local government chairmen in the states under the state of emergency can only rule under the control of the president or anyone he so designates: the president is allowed to hold state funds, while the House of Assembly is now only a rubber stamp, as any order made under the emergency is deemed to be a law enacted by House.
ACN said it has now been vindicated for not only rejecting the proclamation, but for asking the National Assembly to study the proclamation well before approving it.
“Here is what we said in our statement of May 16th: ‘Truly understanding the proclamation will enable them to make an informed decision when the issue is brought before them.’
“We also said that the state of emergency, which is essentially martial law, ‘has castrated democracy in the affected states, even though the democratic structures have been left largely intact’.
Our warnings have now turned out to be prescient, a departure from the mass hysteria that greeted the declaration, a departure from the failure of all those who should have seriously scrutinized the declaration.
“A nation justifiably angry over the senseless Boko Haram killings but inexplicably overly exuberant at a time that calls for sober reflection simply failed to see the booby traps in the state of emergency declaration. Predictably ever-acquiescing Senate went ahead to approve the declaration even before reading its provisions!
“But the House of Representatives, whose members are always standing by the people of Nigeria, carefully scrutinized the gazette and acted in the best interest of the people. We salute this great chamber and its truly honourable members. We urge them not to relent until they have succeeded in protecting democracy, even as the country fights the insurgents who have turned parts of our country into a killing field.”
Meanwhile, the ACN has said that contrary to insinuations in certain quarters, it has not backtracked from its rejection of the declaration of emergency rule in the three states.
The party also said it remains convinced that only a combination of a responsible use of force and dialogue, which some have tagged a carrot-and-stick approach, can resolve the Boko Haram crisis, and that the use of brute force has never totally resolved any insurgency anywhere.
“We do not need any lesson in patriotism and responsible opposition, because every action we have taken has been guided by patriotism and responsible opposition. Our interventions have never been based on cheap popularity but on rare courage and patriotism, and we will not relent in toeing this path,” it said.
In a related development, northern elders under the aegis of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) have condemned President Goodluck Jonathan for the arrest in the first place of women and children who are families of terrorists, whose freedom from detention the president ordered yesterday.
According to NEF spokesman, professor Ango Abdullahi, the innocent women and children ought to have been spared rather than being taken captive and incarcerated in dehumanising conditions for many months without trial.
Abdullahi described the Federal Government’s order on their release as evidence of shame and guilt for the unwarranted detention.
“As far as we are concerned, the release of the so-called terror suspects should have been done long ago, as long as this people were not tried or charged,” he said. “To us what the president has done is borne out of embarrassment the government is suffering at home and abroad over the arbitrary detention of innocent women and children.”
