Judgment on Makarfi, an attempt to kill opposition —Bode George

Also reacting, a former PDP deputy national chairman, Chief Olabode Geroge, expressed shock, saying Friday, when the judgment was delivered, was  a “bad day for democracy and an attempt to kill the opposition”.

“As I woke up this morning before I got the phone calls, something came to my mind. I remember the Tafawa Balewa Court case then at the Supreme Court, the Federal High Court or whatever. And in my area on Ajele back to the Tafawa Balewa Square, everybody was interested in that court judgment on Chief Obafemi Awolowo that day. They all wanted to know what happened.

“That was the picture that came to my mind and what Baba said that day was, he thanked the judge, Justice Sowemimo, for his erudition or whatever, but said we were going through a dark tunnel, the darkness which nobody can predict when it would end,” he said.

The PDP chieftain, while saying that Nigeria cannot afford to ride into another dark period in her democratic history, described the court verdict as a bad decision, saying he was more than shocked by it.

“I was shocked. I think the word shock is minimal; it is worse than being shocked. My immediate conclusion is that this is the voice of Jacob and the hands of Esau for our National Convention, from what we were told, to be set aside. Well, I leave that to the political pundits to analyse. But for whatever it is, it is a very bad day for democracy. It is a very sad day.

“The party that was in government, very well established, that is even called the most populous political party in the whole of Africa, has being decimated, being reduced to Sheriff as the chief manager. He just came to the party. Democracy is not about one party-state or one-party man.

“Democracy is about aligning all voices, for majority, minority to have a say and I am still very sad. I am not young anymore and I am still not that old and I expected that, at this time, the nation would be close to the first line of developed countries,” he said.

The PDP chieftain said the court verdict also amounted to what he called a grand plan to muzzle the opposition in the country.

“This is nothing but a complete muzzling of majority decision. We will await the full decision of the court. We would also await the decision of other managers of the party from Abuja. But if nothing can be seen clearly or be decided in positive manner in nearest future, I cannot see myself playing any political role, I don’t deceive myself.

“My spirit has never been this low as it is today (Friday). I am talking personally for myself, whither Nigeria?; where do we go from here? A lot of people expected a vibrant opposition. Now, they have taken the opposition’s vibrancy to be an appendage to the ruling party. I cry for our beloved country,” he lamented.