By Ayo Jones
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Chief Olabode George has condemned the untoward moves and actions of some members of the party, describing them as an unacceptable assault on democratic order.
According to him, “the actions of a group previously expelled for anti-party activities, reportedly encouraged by a serving Federal Minister was not in the interest of the PDP.
“Their attempt to prevent a duly-elected leadership from assuming office was not only unlawful but part of a broader pattern that threatens the future of multi-party democracy in Nigeria.
“As a life member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT), I maintain without ambiguity: anyone wishing to leave the party is free to do so”.
George, who made the remarks at a press briefing in Lagos earlier today, said the recent disruption at the PDP Secretariat on November 18 was a grave warning, a threat to democracy and party unity.
The party Chieftain who described a political party like a tree which grows stronger when unhealthy branches fall away, condemned the continued activities of some PDP stalwarts as a deliberate provocation, a disregard for party rules, and an attempt to seize what did not belong to them.
“The forced entry into the PDP National Secretariat crossed every line of decency and legality. Nigeria has moved beyond the era where sheer force overrides order. The question now is: Who authorised the police to take over the headquarters? Under what authority? Since when does a tenant overtake a landlord?
He recalled that such incidents contributed largely to the political upheavals in Nigeria’s history and warned that such could endanger democratic rule.
“Our nation’s history between 1962 and 1966 teaches us that seemingly small political infractions, when ignored, can snowball into national disasters.
“The powers -that-be then thought they were dealing with the opposition party. They didn’t know they were pulling apart our dear nation. Their actions and inactions eventually led to the collapse of the First Republic, which unfortunately dovetailed into the civil war between July 6, 1967 and January 15, 1970 when more than two million Nigerians were killed”, he said.
George advised the ruling APC administration to concentrate on strengthening the nation’s democratic institutions instead of dabbling into the internal affairs of opposition parties .
“Yet, rather than strengthening our democratic institutions, some actors are lowering standards, sidelining critical reasoning and placing personal ambition over national interest. In the process, Nigerians are paying a painful price’, he lamented.