The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the proactive and decisive action taken by northern governors and political leaders on the recent ultimatum and declaration by a so-called Arewa Youth Consultative Forum. A statement by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress (APC), said the party is delighted to see that the pressures mounted by the various leaders have forced the group to reverse its misguided ultimatum and threats.
“However,
our party remain disturbed by the increasing spate of separatist
agitations by individuals and groups in the country. While we affirm
the inalienable rights of citizens and groups to agitate for
legitimate causes as a key ingredient of participatory democracy, we
believe that such agitations should be guided by the extant laws of
the country and established democratic norms. They must be peaceful
and demonstrate respect for the constitutional rights of other
citizens who may not share in their separatist aspirations.
“We
observe that the nature and content of recent agitations clearly
transcends the boundaries of the law and exceeds the limits of
freedom of speech. They are therefore, patently inimical to national
cohesion and the sustenance of our hard-earned democracy. The
National Assembly, the courts and several lawful avenues are
available to citizens, groups and sundry interests to make change,
seek redress and advance legitimate causes. Therefore, we call on
agitators to either join a political party which shares their
ideology or form a new party to push their cause.
“For
emphasis, APC strongly condemns any utterance, ultimatum or actions
that threaten the corporate existence of our country. The Party is
hopeful that various security agencies will investigate and prosecute
promoters and sponsors of these provocative, divisive, inciting and
undemocratic declarations and actions. We express our firm belief
that despite our challenges, our strength as a country lies in the
diversity of our peoples. This we must use to our advantage in our
quest to lift the country to its deserved heights.
“We
hereby call on political leaders in the South East to emulate their
northern counterparts by reining in separatist agitators in the
region and arresting the spate of provocative and inciting
declarations and actions. This is the leadership responsibility
imposed on them by the positions they occupy. We are disappointed to
see that non-state actors could effectively subvert civil order in
the face of duly constituted political authorities. Certainly, this
unfortunate situation cannot be allowed to repeat itself.”
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