PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Nigeria's opposition party alerts on alleged moves to silence leader
Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Following its string of successes in court in recent time, reclaiming several states already
under the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), main opposition party Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Sunday
raised an alarm over alleged moves by some unnamed people to silence its leader.
Former Lagos state governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, widely regarded as the leader of the progressives, is the man behind
the long-drawn court actions that have seen ACN retake Edo, Ekiti and Osun state - all in the South-west region - through
court rulings, after PDP victories in the 2007 elections were challenged in court.
ACN also controls the key Lagos state, which is home to the nation's economic and commercial nerve centres.
But in a statement issued Sunday, ACN spokesman Lai Mohammed said there were ''surreptitious and dangerous moves'' to
silence Tinubu, ''with the hope of stopping the progressive train that is blitzing its way through the South-west in particular and the
nation in general''.
The party said the two-pronged plan being hatched by ''some agents of evil involves using the (anti-graft Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission) EFCC to intimidate and put away the undisputed champion of progressive politics, as well as trying to
compromise his security to expose his life to danger.
''The recent, justifiable reverses suffered by those who have arrested the nation's progress through their brand of politics, which involves
massive vote rigging and the perpetration of violence under the theme of 'do-or-die politics, have so scared them into seeking unorthodox
ways to stop the man who - through legal recourse instead of self help - is behind the successes.
''We are aware that President Goodluck Jonathan, who hitherto has resisted every pressure to use his office to influence the judiciary in
favour of his party, has been under tremendous pressure to in turn put pressure on the EFCC Chairman to frame Asiwaju under spurious
charges to put him out of circulation, thus empowering those who know they cannot win free and fair elections ahead of the 2011 polls.
''The proponents of this plan argue that former President Olusegun Obasanjo successfully used the EFCC to hound his perceived opponents
and to ruin their chances just before the 2007 general election, thus paving the way for his party to
have a field day in ruining the polls and awarding victories to those caught its fancy.
''If President Jonathan continues to allow himself to be guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which he has pledged to
uphold and defend, then those putting pressure on him have also mapped out a fallback position, under which they intend to infiltrate Asiwaju's
security and expose his life to mortal danger,'' ACN said.
The party warned, however, that Nigerians are very discerning and will easily recognise when an innocent man is being framed for political reasons.
''The days of anarchy, when innocent people were slammed with spurious charges to satisfy the egotistic penchant of a megalomaniac, are gone,'' it said.
-0- PANA PR/SEG 5Dec2010
under the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), main opposition party Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Sunday
raised an alarm over alleged moves by some unnamed people to silence its leader.
Former Lagos state governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, widely regarded as the leader of the progressives, is the man behind
the long-drawn court actions that have seen ACN retake Edo, Ekiti and Osun state - all in the South-west region - through
court rulings, after PDP victories in the 2007 elections were challenged in court.
ACN also controls the key Lagos state, which is home to the nation's economic and commercial nerve centres.
But in a statement issued Sunday, ACN spokesman Lai Mohammed said there were ''surreptitious and dangerous moves'' to
silence Tinubu, ''with the hope of stopping the progressive train that is blitzing its way through the South-west in particular and the
nation in general''.
The party said the two-pronged plan being hatched by ''some agents of evil involves using the (anti-graft Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission) EFCC to intimidate and put away the undisputed champion of progressive politics, as well as trying to
compromise his security to expose his life to danger.
''The recent, justifiable reverses suffered by those who have arrested the nation's progress through their brand of politics, which involves
massive vote rigging and the perpetration of violence under the theme of 'do-or-die politics, have so scared them into seeking unorthodox
ways to stop the man who - through legal recourse instead of self help - is behind the successes.
''We are aware that President Goodluck Jonathan, who hitherto has resisted every pressure to use his office to influence the judiciary in
favour of his party, has been under tremendous pressure to in turn put pressure on the EFCC Chairman to frame Asiwaju under spurious
charges to put him out of circulation, thus empowering those who know they cannot win free and fair elections ahead of the 2011 polls.
''The proponents of this plan argue that former President Olusegun Obasanjo successfully used the EFCC to hound his perceived opponents
and to ruin their chances just before the 2007 general election, thus paving the way for his party to
have a field day in ruining the polls and awarding victories to those caught its fancy.
''If President Jonathan continues to allow himself to be guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which he has pledged to
uphold and defend, then those putting pressure on him have also mapped out a fallback position, under which they intend to infiltrate Asiwaju's
security and expose his life to mortal danger,'' ACN said.
The party warned, however, that Nigerians are very discerning and will easily recognise when an innocent man is being framed for political reasons.
''The days of anarchy, when innocent people were slammed with spurious charges to satisfy the egotistic penchant of a megalomaniac, are gone,'' it said.
-0- PANA PR/SEG 5Dec2010
