The Media Team of the presidential campaign council of the People’s Democratic Party in Rivers State, has reacted to the sealing of its campaign office in Port Harcourt by the Rivers State Government.
The council in a statement yesterday, condemned the incident describing it as governor Nyesom Wike’s militarization of democracy in another dimension.
It called on members not to be rattled by the incident noting that tyranny will expire in the state.
The statement reads,
GOV. WIKE’S MILITARISATION OF DEMOCRACY IN ANOTHER DIMENSION, AS HE SEALS OFF THE CAMPAIGN OFFICE FOR ATIKUOKOWA IN THE GRA AXIS OF RIVERS STATE
While the media was still agog with Gov. Wike’s strange intention to subject the person of Sen. Lee Maeba to further attack, calumny, libel, and abuse, a more shocking incident erupted in the early hours of today, December 23, 2022.
This time around the embattled and exasperated Governor of Rivers State in the guise of the State Government laid his finger on the GRA AtikuOkowa Campaign Office situated in GRA, Port Harcourt.
It is already in the know that application for approval of the office in compliance with the unlawful Executive Order had remained in a state of limbo for months, which led to subtle political activities pending the expected approval. To the chagrin of the DG, members of PCC, and the media team, the office premises was sealed off by the Rivers State Government in total disregard of the months-old application.
The public is hereby informed that the sealed premises had no bill board or poster, since the approval had not been given, yet it was sealed off, a sign that the delay in the approval is premeditated and computed to cause this sort of unlawfulness.
We condemn this act because it rubs off on our fundamental right to free expression of interest. Furthermore, this egregious move by the Rivers State Government, seen in the prism of politics, tends to militarise our democracy and renders our dear state politically recessive when juxtaposed with other states in the country.
We urge our dear leaders in the state to challenge this illegality in a court of competent jurisdiction so that friction can disappear from our political space. The right to campaign for preferred candidate is enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria, which is the grand nurm from which every other law derives its power.
Thus, every clash between the Constitution and any other made law should be resolved in favour of the Constitution. The Rivers State Government, we dare say, is subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended). It is our duty to remind Gov. Wike and his co-travelers that they, like every one else, are subject to the Laws of Nigeria.
Meanwhile we charge the Rivers State PDP PCC, our dear leaders, to see to it that this unlawful disruption of campaign activities does not rattle their cage. They must continue to function as they always had prior to the existence of the Secretariat. Tyranny will expire in our state. If the Nazi Regime could die in Germany, then this facsimile of such will die even much faster to the glory of God and liberty of Rivers State.
23/12/2022
