The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands the immediate and unconditional release of the Spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, by the police, allegedly on the orders of the Speaker of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led House of Representatives,
Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
In a statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary stated that the party decried the arrest of the CUPP Spokesman, in defiance of a subsisting court order barring such, as a direct affront to the judiciary, an assault on our democratic practice and a violation of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere’s rights as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
In demanding his release, he said, “our party is deeply worried by reports that the CUPP spokesperson is being detained under very dehumanizing condition where he is also allegedly being tortured”.
The PDP insisted that, without prejudice to the issues between the leadership of the House of Representatives and the CUPP, for which the two parties were before a court, resorting to using the police to arrest and detain the CUPP spokesperson, in defiance of the orders of the court, is completely unacceptable, unlawful and cannot be justified under any guise whatsoever.
Our party charges the Presiding Officers of the APC-led House of Representatives to note that Nigeria is a democratic state, governed by law which creates no space for the whims and caprices of dictatorial, oppressive and vindictive individuals, who has no regard for rules
The APC leaders in the House of Representatives should therefore respect the sanctity of the judiciary and the provisions of the law by following due process in dealing with issues, particularly those guaranteed by the constitution.
The party however, called on the Inspector General of Police to wade into the matter, insulate the police from the political manipulation of the APC leadership, by immediately ordering the release of the CUPP Spokesperson, in keeping with the demands of the tenets of democracy, rule of law and provision of 1999 Constitution.
