Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) on Monday took a swipe at the federal government over the continued detention of the detained Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress (ACC), Mr Omoyele Sowore, warning that it portends a grave danger should the country be allowed to “becoming a lawless nation.”
OPC, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Mr Yinka Oguntimehin, equally denounced the Waterways Bill now before the National Assembly, describing it as a ploy to make the states redundant.
According to the group, the prolonged detention and government’s refusal of the federal government to obey court order in respect of Sowore is nothing but lawlessness, asserting that it was obvious that the government was playing politics with the activist’s detention as there was nowhere in the world a democratically elected president would flaunt the law and refuse court orders.
OPC, while expressing sadness that the federal government was treating the judiciary with contempt, equally lamented that the country under an elected President Muhammadu Buhari had seen numbers of federal government detainees “growing by the day.”
“It is obvious that the federal government is playing politics with Sowore’s detention. Where on earth would a democratically elected president flaunts the law and refused court orders? OPC queried.
“The federal government is treating the judiciary with contempt and it is sad.
“With democracy under President Muhammadu Buhari, the numbers of federal government detainees are growing by the day.
“Before the new judgment, there had been an existing court order for his release, yet the FG didn’t blink an eye on the issue and Nigerians have been reacting, because the situation is affecting the image of the country in the international world.
“We cannot continue to fold our arms and behave as if nothing is wrong. If the federal government continues this way, that means we are heading towards becoming a lawless nation and that portends grave danger to the nation,” the group stated.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, in a ruling on Monday, had ordered that Sowore be remanded in custody until Friday, October 4.
The justice gave the order after the Department of State Services (DSS) re-arraigned Sowore before another Federal High Court.
The DSS had earlier refused to release Sowore after another competent court had ordered his release.
In her interjection, Justice Ojukwu said she would not entertain an oral application for bail, urging the defence to within a short period file an application for bail for both defendants.
“With the new ruling, it is obvious that the FG is using the institution and the paraphernalia of office of the presidency to suppress human rights and cow oppositions. And the world is watching as we continually abuse other people’s rights at will,” OPC said.
OPC expressed dismay at the Waterways Bill sent before the National Assembly for passage into law, saying the federal government was doing everything within its powers to overwhelm the states and make them redundant.
“It is a ploy to take what nature has willingly bestowed on the states from them. We wanted to restructure, we wanted devolution of powers, yet the FG is becoming more powerful every day with its centralistic government,” the group said.
OPC while noting that the proponents of Federalism believed that the federal government was now having overwhelming powers at the expense of the states and the local governments, wondered what interest the Waterways Bill was going to serve.
“With the new development, it shows the federal government is deeply interested in the bill,” OPC said, urging the 9th Assembly to look deeply into the bill as the representatives of the people and ensure the wishes of Nigerians prevailed at all times.
“The 8th Assembly rejected it while it was first presented. So, the 9th Assembly must look deeply into the bill, because as the representatives of the people, the wishes of Nigerians must prevail at all times,” it said.
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