Buhari’s directive could lead to extra-judicial killings – Dogara

Speaker Yakubu Dogara has faulted the directive by President
Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to deal ruthlessly with
anyone who may attempt to snatch ballot boxes during the
rescheduled presidential and National Assembly elections on
Saturday.

Speaking at a national caucus meeting of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, Buhari had said, “Anybody who
decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may
be that would be the last unlawful action you would take.

“I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless.
I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs
in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he
would do it at the expense of his/her own life”.

But addressing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, Dogara said the
President’s directive to the military and the police amounted to a
call for extra judicial killings of would- be electoral
offenders.

The Speaker reminded the President there were adequate
provisions in the nation’s laws to address electoral offences.

Dogara said: “These statements clearly indicate that our
democracy has become the victim of a full blown dictatorship, when
one considers that a democratically elected President would give a
directive that is in clear violation of the laws of the land, which
by his oath of office, he is to defend and protect.

“In view of this statement by the President, it is obvious that
the military has been given a central role and coopted into the
conduct of the election despite the fact that they have no
constitutional role in our electoral process”.

Speaker Dogara described as false claims and unnecessary
blackmail, a statement by the national chairman of the APC, Mr.
Adams Oshiomhole, to the effect that the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) gave the PDP prior notice of the
postponement of the February 16 elections.

He recalled that the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus
was the first to call for an inquiry into why INEC postponed the
elections.

The Speaker added the PDP will support a genuine and transparent
probe into why the presidential and National Assembly elections
could not hold.

He expressed the hope that the President’s inflammatory
statement was not a direct threat aimed at intimidating the
electoral commission.

“We also strongly condemn Mr. Oshiomole’s false, mischievous and
inflammatory claims against our party, when he said INEC colluded
with PDP to abort last week’s elections.

“This is a very surprising statement considering the fact that
the Federal Government controls every institution and agency
involved in the electoral process, including the CBN, Nigerian
Airforce, Aviation authorities amongst others.

“From our position, we strongly believe that the deliberate
delivery of election materials to the wrong electoral centres,
cancellation of flights, and other actions that undermined the
logistics arrangement of INEC, were deliberately done to sabotage
and manipulate the process.

“We are also very familiar with the pressure brought on INEC by
top government officials and APC leaders to go ahead with the
elections despite not being adequately prepared for the
election.

“We are also aware the APC wanted the INEC chairman to conduct
elections in some states and postpone in other states so as to have
staggered elections.

“It should also be noted that the areas that would have been
affected by inadequate delivery of materials were PDP
strongholds.”

He added: “Obviously, we know they are doing everything humanly
possible to discredit INEC, remove the chairman and stall the
process conscious of the fact that they cannot win this
election.

“Embarrassingly, this is the first time that we have witnessed a
ruling party play victim, which is a clear indication that they
have lost the plot.

“Evidently, their recent actions and statements clearly show
they are panicking and desperate to cling onto power, even when the
people have rejected them.

“Also, opinion polls conducted by the APC, and other
international agencies clearly indicate that the APC will lose this
election, anytime it is conducted; we believe that is why they are
resorting to desperate measures of arm-twisting the electoral
commission, undermining the entire process and planning to unleash
terror on the country.

“Finally, let it be known that the PDP, with the support of
every well- meaning Nigerian, will employ every legitimate means to
resist attempts by the APC and the Federal Government to undermine
and compromise the electoral process and truncate our
democracy.”