Twitter Ban: Don’t Harass Foreign Envoys, PDP Tells FG, APC

The Peoples Democratic Party has cautioned the All Progressives
Congress-led Federal Government against “harassing foreign envoys
and other members of the international community for speaking out
against the infringement on the rights of Nigerians” by the regime
of the President Muhammadu Buhari.

The party said this after the Federal Government summoned envoys
of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union,
Canada among others.

The envoys had stood on the side of Nigerians against the
suspension of Twitter in Nigeria by the Federal Government.

The PDP, in a statement signed by the National Publicity
Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the Federal Government’s action
in regards to the envoys smacks of intolerance towards the
international community.

“The PDP is alarmed by the development which smacks of
intolerance towards the international community as obtained in Idi
Amin’s dictatorial Uganda of 1971 to 1979,” the statement read.

“Our party notes that there is no law or statute that prohibits
foreign envoys from speaking out against clear violation of
internationally enshrined freedom of expression and right to social
interactions as provided by Twitter and other social media
platforms.

“In fact, the defence of such rights is a fundamental duty which
envoys owe their host nations and the international community.

“The PDP, therefore, cautions that any harassment or assault on
foreign envoys places them at great risk as well as pitch our
nation against other members of the international community.

“It is instructive for the APC and the Buhari administration to
note that given the current downturn of our national life under
their misrule, Nigeria cannot afford to be declared a pariah
nation.

“The PDP is worried that the APC administration has been
overheating our polity leading to escalation of insecurity,
killings, bloodletting and violence in the country.

“Nigerians would recall that ahead of the 2019 general
elections, one of the leaders of the APC, the Kaduna State
governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, had threatened that some of the
foreign election monitors would be returned to their countries in
bodybags.

“Our party, therefore, demands that the Federal Government
should listen to the voice of reason, end its misrule and desist
from infringing on the rights of Nigerians as being witnessed in
the illegal and vexatious ban on Twitter.

“Already, the PDP is perfecting processes for legal action
against the APC-led Federal Government’s suspension of Twitter and
the directive to broadcasting stations to pull out of Twitter.

“In the same vein, our party is considering a directive to all
our wards, local governments and state structure to commence
peaceful civil protests against the suspension of Twitter, the
spate of insecurity and the failures of the Buhari
administration.”

The Peoples Democratic Party has cautioned the All Progressives
Congress-led Federal Government against “harassing foreign envoys
and other members of the international community for speaking out
against the infringement on the rights of Nigerians” by the regime
of the President Muhammadu Buhari.

The party said this after the Federal Government summoned envoys
of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union,
Canada among others.

The envoys had stood on the side of Nigerians against the
suspension of Twitter in Nigeria by the Federal Government.

The PDP, in a statement signed by the National Publicity
Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the Federal Government’s action
in regards to the envoys smacks of intolerance towards the
international community.

“The PDP is alarmed by the development which smacks of
intolerance towards the international community as obtained in Idi
Amin’s dictatorial Uganda of 1971 to 1979,” the statement read.

“Our party notes that there is no law or statute that prohibits
foreign envoys from speaking out against clear violation of
internationally enshrined freedom of expression and right to social
interactions as provided by Twitter and other social media
platforms.

“In fact, the defence of such rights is a fundamental duty which
envoys owe their host nations and the international community.

“The PDP, therefore, cautions that any harassment or assault on
foreign envoys places them at great risk as well as pitch our
nation against other members of the international community.

“It is instructive for the APC and the Buhari administration to
note that given the current downturn of our national life under
their misrule, Nigeria cannot afford to be declared a pariah
nation.

“The PDP is worried that the APC administration has been
overheating our polity leading to escalation of insecurity,
killings, bloodletting and violence in the country.

“Nigerians would recall that ahead of the 2019 general
elections, one of the leaders of the APC, the Kaduna State
governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, had threatened that some of the
foreign election monitors would be returned to their countries in
bodybags.

“Our party, therefore, demands that the Federal Government
should listen to the voice of reason, end its misrule and desist
from infringing on the rights of Nigerians as being witnessed in
the illegal and vexatious ban on Twitter.

“Already, the PDP is perfecting processes for legal action
against the APC-led Federal Government’s suspension of Twitter and
the directive to broadcasting stations to pull out of Twitter.

“In the same vein, our party is considering a directive to all
our wards, local governments and state structure to commence
peaceful civil protests against the suspension of Twitter, the
spate of insecurity and the failures of the Buhari
administration.”