PRESS RELEASE
\nPDP: Ekweremadu Rues Manipulation, Decline of Nigeria\u2019s Democracy
\n\u2026Says Naira Currently Worst Currency in Africa
\nThe Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has rued what he described as the manipulation of vital institutions of democracy and radical decline of democratic freedoms in Nigeria.
\nHe also said that the solidarity of all key organs and bodies of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) towards the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP National Caretaker Committee, despite the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal on the party\u2019s leadership tussle, showed that \u201cit is not the hood that makes the monk\u201d.
\nSenator Ekweremadu made the assertions during the PDP National Stakeholders meeting, which held at the Ekiti State Governor\u2019s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, on Monday.
\nEkweremadu, who was particularly peeved at the sealing of the International Conference Centre, Abuja, the earlier announced venue of the PDP Stakeholders meeting by the security agencies, said that such flagrant manipulation of critical institutions of democracy was not only dangerous, but bad news for the nation\u2019s democracy.
\nHe said: \u201cWe are aware that all the institutions of democracy are being manipulated and harassed in this country. The National Assembly and the press are not left out. The INEC has been captured and now a part of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Our judiciary is being insulted and assaulted everyday. Their houses are being attacked very late at night and the judges are being harassed.
\n\u201cSo, we are not surprised at what we are seeing today (sealing of meeting venue). But what remains is for us to remain resolute\u201d.
\nHe expressed his displeasure at what he described as the rise in political persecution in the country.
\n\u201cIf you look around this room, you will see a lot of people who are being harassed, persecuted, and taken to court. What is their offence? They claim they allegedly received stolen property, yet nobody has been arraigned for the actual stealing. As a lawyer, I know that if you are being arraigned for receiving stolen property, you must first of all arraign the man who stole the property. That is not so in our own case. Is that democracy?\u201d he wondered.
\nHe urged party members to remain resolute and protect the soul of the PDP and the nation\u2019s hard-won democracy, insisting that the party leaders were made by the party faithful, and could never be imposed from the outside.
\n\u201cWe have heard there was a judgment in Port Harcourt. Now, those who benefitted from the judgment, where are they? Are they with our former ministers? Are they with our National Assembly members? Are they with our governors? Which organ of the party are they with or is with them? The truth is that it is not the hood that makes the monk\u201d.
\nSenator Ekweremadu also decried the worsening economic conditions of the country, noting that all APC promises had been kept in the reverse order.
\n\u201cThey told us that one U.S dollar would be one naira when they take over. Has that happened? Today, our currency is the worst currency in the whole of Africa. Is that the type of democracy we looked forward to? I can see a situation where the price of oil is going up and the value of naira is going down. What type of economics is that?\u201d he queried.
\nThe Deputy President of the Senate, however, enjoined PDP faithful to remain strong as the party would \u201cwork with Nigerians to restore true democracy and hope to our people\u201d.
\n\u201cI believe that with determination and sticking together, we will triumph and Nigeria will be better for it\u201d he stressed.
\nUche Anichukwu
\nSpecial Adviser (Media) to Deputy President of the Senate
\n20\/02\/17<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PRESS RELEASE PDP: Ekweremadu Rues Manipulation, Decline of Nigeria\u2019s Democracy \u2026Says Naira Currently Worst Currency in Africa The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has rued what he described as the manipulation of vital institutions of democracy and radical decline of democratic freedoms in Nigeria. He also said that the solidarity of all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}