The coalition of human rights groups in Nigeria, under the aegis of Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice, CHRSJ, has warned that the Nigerian Armed Forces may topple President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, if the present political leaders in the country fail to play the political game according to laid down rules.
The group described the ongoing face-off between the Nigerian presidency under the watch of President Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly under the watch of Dr. Bukola Saraki as bad omen for the development of the country.
The group, which spoke through CHRSJ’s executive chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman, after an emergency meeting of the coalition on the “State of the Nation” in respect of present tension in the polity, noted that “instead of the Presidency and the National Assembly to put energy on how to ameliorate the suffering of Nigeria masses, both arms of government have rekindle their energy on who gets what position in the current political system.”
The groups also described the ongoing political crisis in Abia State as an abuse of judicial process and self-serving to create unnecessary political tension in the eastern part of the country, saying that it was a grand plan of the ruling party to entrench a one-party state in the country.
The human rights activists observed that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, acted within the ambit of the ruling of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja but was too hasty to issue the certificate of returns to Mr. Uche Ogar when they knew that no lower court has final power to remove anybody from office because the Supreme Court was a final arbiter in any matter, calling for the immediate withdrawal of certificate of returns issued to Mr. Ogar by INEC.
It added that Mr. Ogar was not qualified to benefit from the ruling of the court because there was no evidence of Ogar’s participation in the said Abia State PDP’s primary election in December 14th, 2014 as he failed to sign the election result of the said primary, noted that Ogar just mislead the court during the judicial process.
It also accused President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to declare a state of emergency in some opposition states, including Abia and Ekiti, in order to give leeway for ruling party to come to power in those states through the backdoor.
It further stated that the current political leaders in the nation have failed the masses of the country and a situation which put Nigeria people in perpetual abject poverty.
The rights groups include the Christian Awareness Mission Group, Passengers Fundamental Rights Group, the Islamic Political Awareness Group, Centre for Social Justice and Equity of Nigeria, Veteran Groups for Operation Clean Crusade, Apata-Aiyeraye Social Political Volunteer Group, De-Mainstream Independent Group (DMIG) and Coalition Against Illegal Arrest and Unlawful Detention.
Others were Centre for Constitutional Rights and Counter Corruption Crusader, Save Lagos Group, The Conscience Mainstream, African Masses Voice for Survival, the Christians Youths for the Peoples’ Rights and Development, Islamic Movement for Muslims’ Rights, Divine Nigerians Liberators for Peoples’ Fundamental Rights, and the Christians Volunteers Groups for Good Governance in Nigeria.
