Raphael Ede, Enugu
The Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Enugu State chapter, has warned the Federal Government that Ndigbo would not take it kindly should any harm befall the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu .
Ohanaeze stated that Ekweremadu has emerged as the conscience of a traumatised nation, desperately searching for a leader. He has been consistent in pointing out the numerous failures of the government and offering workable alternatives.
It condemned the latest siege to the senator’s residence in Abuja by operatives of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), saying Nigeria is on the path of tyranny.
It also regretted that the present federal government has demonstrated that it lacks a sense of accommodation, and has resorted to unleashing security agents on people each time it considers its interest at risk.
The state President of Ohanaeze, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, who stated this in a statement yesterday, said the action of the federal government has once again brought to the fore, the recklessness and impunity of our security agencies as well as the disturbing trend by which the Presidency deploys the coercive apparatus of the state to settle political scores.
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“We are concerned over the penchant by the Presidency in using the security network to threaten and harass, not just members of the opposition but also other people that are diametrically opposed to its policies. The beauty of democracy is its capacity to accommodate diverse views and encourage the process of dialogue to achieve a consensus.
“This is the height of democratic dictatorship and tyranny and it should be condemned in all its ramifications.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Enugu State chapter condemns this latest siege to Senator Ekweremadu in its totality. We are not unmindful of the fact that the Presidency has not hidden its disgust and resentment towards the senator since he emerged as the deputy Senate president in June 2015.
“Since that time, the Presidency has deployed all manner of undercut methods to deal with what it perceived as the Ekweremadu Challenge.
“Since 2015, Senator Ekweremadu has been accused of doctoring Senate rules, dragged to court, but was discharged and acquitted; hired assassins have been unleashed on him, yet, the federal government did nothing, the plan to plant huge sums of money in different currencies in Abuja Guest House and rope him, failed; he has been accused of illegal acquisition of property both in Nigeria and abroad all to no avail.
“And now, what the Presidency has conjured as the final solution to Ekweremadu problem, is to unleash men of the security forces to lay siege to his residence.”