PDP tells Britain that APC is threatening Nigerian democracy by breaching rule of law

NIGERIAN main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told the British high commission in Nigeria that it is fearful for the future giving the way the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is destroying democratic institutions in the country.

Yesterday, the PDP chairman Prince Uche Secondus, met with Jonathan Bacon, the British high commission’s political counsellor on foreign, commonwealth and development office at the part secretariat in Abuja. During the meeting, Prince Secondus lamented the state of the nation, noting that electoral reforms achieved by the PDP prior to the 2015 elections have been destroyed.

He added that for five and half years, democracy has been under severe stress and critical institutions of democracy brutalised. Prince Secondus  noted that the judiciary, legislature and the media have been under siege, while human rights and rule of law have all been flagrantly abused.

“Though the APC administration came into power as beneficiary of a transparent and credible election conducted under the PDP, it has not been able to conduct any free and fair election,” Prince Secondus added. He accused the APC of abusing the electoral process and frustrating the desires and efforts of Nigerians to further amend the Electoral Act.

Prince Secondus bemoaned the spate of insecurity and the lack of commitment on the path of the current administration to decisively tackle the outlaws and end the mindless killings, bloodletting, kidnapping, banditry and other acts of terrorism. He also expressed worry that it had reached a point where stakeholders, out of frustration, are calling on the people to defend themselves due to government failure.

On the economy, Prince Secondus told the UK official that the APC plunged Nigeria into the worst economic hardship, owing to incompetence, lack of clear-cut policy direction, insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians and unprecedented corruption.

Prince Secondus added: “Indeed, this is not the way our nation should be. We must come together to rescue our nation by commencing critical conversations within the ambit of the law and democratic practice to salvage the situation.”