Shehu Sani Says Nyako’s Planned Impeachment, Threat To Democracy, Warns Against Rigging Ekiti Poll

Shehu_SaniA northern based human rights activist and President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Comrade Shehu Sani, on Friday took the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government to the cleaners for orchestrating the planned impeachment of the Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyanko.

He described the move as a threat to the nation’s hard-earned democracy.

The activist also cautioned against any attempt to rig the Ekiti State Governorship poll, which is underway, saying any attempt to subvert the will of the electorate would amount to inciting the people against the government of the day.

He said the impeachment notice served on Nyako and his deputy, James Bala Ngilari, by the state assembly was condemnable.

Sani, who is also a Senatorial aspirant in Kaduna State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, noted that the move to impeach Nyako was a script being acted out by the PDP to persecute the governor for defecting to APC.

According to Sani, the impeachment plot was a ploy by the PDP and the Federal Government to retake the state.

He insisted that the impeachment was not only a threat to peace, but to the entire democratic process, which was earned through struggle and sacrifice.

While recognising the constitutional rights of the state legislators to perform their oversight responsibilities, he noted that it was “dishonorable, unethical and immoral for the legislators to compromise their conscience and allow themselves to play the puppet”.

He said, “The impeachment is a threat to peace and the democratic process. It’s unacceptable. Governor Nyako is a victim of political vendetta.

“It’s most unfortunate that while the nation burns in the flames of insurgency, the ruling PDP and the Federal Government is more interested in intimidating and harassing dissenting and defecting state governors.

“The action by the Adamawa State House of Assembly is no different from the earlier failed attempts made in Rivers, Nasarawa, Kano and Edo states. Removing Nyako and his deputy amount to nothing but regime change in disguise”.

On the Ekiti State governorship election, the pro-democracy activist warned that it must not be rigged.

He condemned the reported harassment and intimidation of APC governors on their way to the state for the APC rally.

He noted that the state’s governorship election would be a pointer to the 2015 general election, adding that it would be a bad omen for the 2015 elections if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to conduct a free, fair elections in the state.

Sani also advised the military and other security agencies to refrain from being partisan, noting that the nation’s democratic process was never a gift from the military, but rather a product of bitter struggle and sacrifice.

He said, “The PDP needs to be reminded that it cannot win elections with the Army and the Police alone. Nigeria’s democratic process is not a gift given to us by the military, it was a product of bitter struggle and sacrifice.

“We will not fold our arms and watch it been systematically destroyed by desperate forces in Government and the ruling PDP”.