The British High Commission to Nigeria
on Tuesday said it was monitoring the situation at the National Assembly
and other political developments ahead of the 2019 general elections.....
The Press and Public Affairs Officer at the high commission, Mr Joe Abuku, said this in a statement sent to The PUNCH.
The high commission said the British government would continue to support only the rule of law and democratic ethos.
The statement read, “We are aware of
media reports of a situation at the National Assembly this morning. We
are closely monitoring the situation and other political developments in
Nigeria. The United Kingdom supports a process whereby the people of
Nigeria can exercise their democratic right to vote and be voted for. We
favour a free, fair, credible and peaceful process and the independence
of institutions, which allow for that.”
In June, the British High Commissioner,
Mr Paul Arkwright, had urged the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission and other
agencies of government to remain neutral before, during and after the
general elections.
Arkwright had said democracy could only
thrive when agencies of government were independent and all parties were
given a level playing field.
Meanwhile, the South-West socio-cultural
group, Afenifere, as well as the civil society, Committee for the
Defence of Human Rights and Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open
Leadership, condemned the siege to the National Assembly by the
Department of State Services’ operatives. They demanded that the sacked
Director-General, Lawal Daura, must face prosecution.
The Afenifere National Publicity
Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, stated this in an interview on the siege to
the National Assembly chambers by DSS operatives.
He said, “What happened at the National
Assembly was a coup d’état. The sacked DSS DG must have had some
collaborators. Besides his sacking, he must face a treason trial. He
must be prosecuted. It is when he is tried that Nigerians will know that
he truly acted on his own as the Presidency is claiming.
“The invasion of our legislative
chambers by security men portrays our country as a laughing stock. It is
a barbaric act that must not be condoned in a democracy.
“The sacking of the DSS DG should not be
the only action. If the Presidency is saying the DG acted without their
consent, it means we have a deregulated Presidency.
“Or did that order come from London?
Either way, there is trouble in the land. It is hard to believe that the
DSS will just mobilize on a morning and go to shut down completely
another arm of the government.”
Meanwhile, the CDHR President, Malachy
Ugwummadu, said, “This is one of such incidents which have weakened our democratization system. Democracy is rooted in the recognition of the
separation of powers. This incident is condemn-able and is one of the
excesses of security agencies in this government.”
Also, the CACOL Director, Debo Adeniran,
said, “The invasion is barbaric and against democratic principles. But
the body language of the Presidency is encouraging and also adds to the
general condemnation of that action by the DSS.”
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