Atiku says Jonathan poses threat to democracy

A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday said President Goodluck Jonathan posed threat to the nation’s democracy.

Atiku slammed the President for what the ex-VP described as the “crude methods” the Jonathan administration had adopted in dealing with perceived political enemies.

He said this in his reaction to Thursday’s incident when security operatives laid siege to the National Assembly and prevented the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, from gaining access to the assembly complex.



Tambuwal had called the House members to plenary to deliberate on the extension of emergency rule in the North-East states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno.

Atiku, in a statement by his media office, said the “siege mentality” of the Jonathan administration posed threats to the country’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 said.

He said “the crude display of power by the President and his agents” represented bad signals for the future of our democracy. He said that Jonathan’s attitude was because he did not participate in the struggle that brought the present democracy into being.

He said the behaviour of the PDP-led government towards Tambuwal was neither decent nor acceptable under a president that has committed himself to uphold the rule of law.

He said, “This crisis highlights the absolute failure of the current PDP’s idea of government: arrogant, indifferent and incompetent.

“What is happening at the National Assembly, taken together with what unfolded today (Thursday) at the Ekiti State 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.”

In the same manner, the Ondo State Chapter of the Buhari Campaign Organisation condemned the siege to the National Assembly on Thursday, describing it as “crass executive lawlessness and an open invitation to anarchy and democratic sacrilege.”

The group co-ordinator, Bola Ilori, addressing the media after its weekly delegates meeting in Akure, lamented that the PDP government had been desecrating all democratic institutions in the country.

Ilori said, “PDP has definitely set out on a mission to oppress, repress and humiliate the legislator and the judiciary in Nigeria. Yesterday (Thursday) it was the humiliation of Ekiti speaker, today it is about tear-gassing the National Assembly members. This is crass executive lawlessness and an open invitation to anarchy.

“What signals are we sending to the world about the health status of Nigerian democracy when judges are beaten by the ruling party leadership and the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly is desecrated by gun-toting goons in flagrant disregard for the idea of separation of powers, this is a democratic sacrilege.”