Victor EzejaLabour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi has reacted to the arrest of his supporters popularly known as Obi-dients.
Obi said such an approach apparently deployed to silence opposition voices is quite condemnable.
The supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate and his running mate, Yusuf Baba-Ahmed Datti have been holding rallies in different parts of the country.
Some of them were said to have been silently arrested.
In a Twitter post, Obi stated that elections are not deemed free and fair when a certain group deploys the tool of intimidation as a strategy to silence the opposition during campaigns and voting.
He also pointed out that the right to peaceful assembly campaigns and other civil liberties are clearly guaranteed in the constitution and cannot be deliberately violated by security operatives.
He called on the Nigerian government to caution security agents on the need to respect the rights of the citizens in the discharges of their duties.
“Elections are not deemed free and fair when a certain group employs the tool of intimidation to ensure that the opposition is silenced, both at the campaigns and at the polls.
“Peaceful assembly and unfettered electioneering campaigns are constitutionally guaranteed. Both and other ordered liberties cannot be breached wilfully by security agents.
“Recent reports of OBIdients being silently arrested by some security agents is extremely disturbing and condemnable. We must ensure that everyone is given a level playing field in the forthcoming elections, and that no eligible Nigerian, irrespective of ethnicity, religion,’ Obi stated.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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