Rivers: Save our democracy, ZLP Chairman charges Tinubu

The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, as a matter of urgent national importance, save Nigeria’s democracy before his political surrogates throw away the baby democracy with bathwater.

The call was made by the National Chairman of ZLP, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, while speaking to Journalists in Abuja, as contained in a statement released by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Khalid Arewa, on Sunday. 

The National Chairman of Zenith Labour Party said that they convened an emergency meeting because of anti-democratic music booming in Rivers, Osun and Lagos States.

According to him, “We of ZLP sincerely bemoaned the ugly and anti-democratic booming in Rivers, Osun and Lagos States. We call on President Tinubu to halt the less than melodic music forthwith, especially when it is allegedly emanating from his political surrogates.

“We caution against Osun and Lagos States rehearsing the Wild Wild West and Rivers State rehearsing the dangerous militancy in the oil region witnessed in the past.”

Recall that political crises have been brewing in some states, heating the polity and leading to the Supreme Court for legal interpretations.

When reminded that Mr. President cannot interfere in legal matters, Dan Nwanyanwu replied that, “In as much as ZLP, it is our considered view that sometimes political solution is required.

“What is the legal status of 27 members of the Rivers Assembly who defected from the political party that sponsored their elections to another political party in the absence of division in leadership position at the National level of that party? And what is the effect of the affidavit sworn on oath by them admitting defecting to another political party?

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“As if that was not enough, attempts are now being made to withdraw the same affidavit sworn to by them to enable them eat their cake and still have it. It is common sense that they have left their political party by the very acts carried out by them in December 2023.”

“Even an unborn child can attest to the very act of defection, announcements and video recordings of same as well as the reception organized by the party they decamped into. That is the background or basis of the crisis that led to the withholding of funds and other ancillary matters,” he added. 

The ZLP National Chairman stated further that “Abuse of privilege and opportunities has now become the order of the day. And we cannot all keep quiet. Recall when you and I were struggling for survival of democracy in 1993 in Late M.K.O Abiola’s (denied elected President of Nigeria) house as, our meeting point, these characters were not near or close to you in the struggle.

“In sum, the ZLP submitted that the intervention of Mr. President is very urgent because we live in a region where democracy is regrettably in recession, hinting that this is how the political crisis of Wild Wild West started,” he added.

According to him, “Imagine the unintended consequence of the Wild Wild West and the dire economic consequence, if in less than transparent manner, His Excellency Sim Fubara, Governor of Rivers State is impeached and in reaction the Ijaw boys start sabotaging oil flow?” 

“Is it not an irony that withholding of Local Government Funds under whatever forum shopping is happening under President Tinubu?” Dan Nwanyanwu asked. 

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