Rep member backs Buhari’s position on third term agenda

Member of the House of Representatives representing Kogi Central Federal Constituency, Hon. Ahmed Tijani (APC-Kogi) on Wednesday applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his decision to jettison the third term agenda.

Hon. Tijani who stated this during a media chat held in Abuja, who expressed support for legislation which prohibits hate speech, however, called for the removal of the death penalty stipulated in the bill and substitute it with other sanction(s).

The lawmaker who described Mr. President as a man of impeccable integrity, said: “I must confess President Buhari is someone I can take by his words. He has come out openly and said that I don’t have the Third Term Agenda in mind.

“He swore to the office of the President that he will spend two terms, and if there’s any reason to go for the Third Term, I think he cannot do it within the confine of his office, it’s something that has to do with the National Assembly.

“And I’m sure that if President Olusegun Obasanjo did not succeed, I don’t think any other person planning that can succeed.

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“Do you think I don’t want to become the President? By giving another Third Term, it slows the pace of me becoming the President of this country. So for that reason, I’m telling you that nobody is going to support that agenda,” Hon. Tijani submitted.

While giving his view on the controversial bills, Hon. Tijani who expressed grief over inflammatory statements from some citizens argued that there is a need to take proactive steps needed to be taken to guard against the disunity of the country.

While reacting to allegations that the bill was targetted at the opposition parties, Hon. Tijani said: “one thing you should know is that the government will come and go nobody will ever remain in government. If you look at the positive side of the bill, I think we should all support the bill.

“But the idea is to see how we can discourage some of those things that will cause disunity, some of those things that look very untrue, some of those things that will not promote the unity of this country.

“Because if you think that this is because they are in government today they wanted to silent the opposition, they will not be in government forever. There are some other states APC is not controlling, but they made the law for the general good of this country, not in a particular state. Does that mean that if you are in APC state you commit a crime and the law will not catch up with you?

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“So we need to look at it holistically and let’s see where it will benefit the country but where it will not then we kick against it.

“Overall, the law is meant for the people of Nigeria and of it is in the interest of the people that we don’t want it, we have no option we are just the representatives of the people, our decision here is not supreme,” he admitted.

Earlier at the National Assembly complex, hundreds of Nigerian youths staged a peaceful protest at the major entrance leading to National Assembly demanding for an immediate withdrawal of the anti-people bill on ‘Protection from Internet falsehood and manipulation bill 2019 and the bill which seeks to establish Independent National Commission for the prohibition of hate speeches.

According to the petition addressed the National Assembly, the convening of the protest expressed “utmost displeasure and outright rejection of the proposed Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill 2019, also known among Nigerians as the ‘Social Media Bill’; and the Independent National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches Act.

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“As a matter of fact, there are existing laws in Nigeria that are appropriate for dealing with the issues alluded to in these satanic Bills. And we are sure you know them because multiple activists and members of the opposition have been — and are presently being — persecuted with these undemocratic laws.

“We wish to draw your attention to the provision of section 24 of the Cybercrime Act 2015 which already captures in its entirety the aims and objectives of the two obnoxious bills:

“Any person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or network that –
(a) is grossly offensive, pornographic or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character or causes any such message or matter to be so sent; or
(b) he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be sent: commits an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N7,000,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
(2) Any person who knowingly or intentionally transmits or causes the transmission of any communication through a computer system or network –
(a) to bully, threaten or harass another person, where such communication places another person in fear of death, violence or bodily harm or to another person;
Cyberstalking,” the petition read.