Ahmed Makarfi warns against alleged plot to truncate democracy in Benue
- Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi describes the drama playing out in Benue as unlawful, disgraceful and undemocratic
- The PDP chieftain appeals to the people of Benue state to remain peaceful while they resist the plot against their governor
- EFCC investigates Governor Ortom over alleged N22bn fraud
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has cautioned those behind the impeachment saga in Benue state to desist from ridiculing Nigeria before the comity of civilised nations.
Makarfi in a statement on Monday, July 30, by his spokesman, Muktar Zubairu Sirajo, described the drama playing out in Benue as unlawful, disgraceful and undemocratic, The Tribune reports.
He faulted a scenario where more than 2/3 of a 30-member House of Assembly will be denied access to the House by the police, while giving state cover to other members to sit and even attempt to impeach a democratically elected governor.
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The statement read in part: “More importantly however the fact is that impeachment of a state governor is a legal and constitutional function, the process of which is clearly spelt out in our constitution, with no ambiguity.
“The Senator reminds Nigerians, particularly the APC and its leadership that the PDP, when it held sway, respected the rights of the people to freely decide what political platform(s) to identify with, a stance that the APC more than any other party, reaped bountifully from and the fruits of which included Governor Ortom himself, at that point.
“It therefore smacks of hypocrisy and a brazen disrespect for fundamental human rights for the same party to now deny people the right defect from it for whatever reason(s). It is imperative, as far as Senator Makarfi is concerned, that people’s rights and freedoms of movement and association and all other rights be respected fully by the state and its agencies; and that both the APC and its government brace up for more people exercising these fundamental rights and respect same."
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Makarfi appealed to the people of Benue state to remain peaceful while they resist the plot against their governor. He also called on Nigerians to do everything within the law to stand against what he described as brazen attempt to stifle the democratic space in Benue.
Meanwhile, the political travails of Samuel Ortom were compounded on Monday, July 30, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed that it had begun probing the Benue state governor for alleged fraud to tune of N22bn.
The anti-graft police also revealed that 21 members of the Benue state house of Assembly are under investigation for allegedly embezzling N375m meant for the procurement of vehicles for oversight functions.
The EFCC said the investigation against the top government officials commenced as far back in 2016, The Punch reports.
In detailing the accusations against Ortom, the EFCC alleged that the governor ordered the withdrawal of N21.3bn from four government’s accounts between June 30, 2015 and March 2018.
Nigeria News: Buhari Reacts To APC Senators’ Betrayal | on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
