APC NEC meeting: PDP accuses Buhari of violating his oath of office

As @SERAPNigeria describes it as being analogous to using public money/ property to fund or support political party operations

Kola Ologbondiyan

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of violating his oath of office by using the Federal Executive Council (FEC) Chambers and government resources to conduct the affairs of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This is contained in statement by Party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan which stated that “Never in the history of our nation has governance been so devalued to the extent of using the hallowed chamber of the highest executive body in the country, where high-level executive decisions are taken, for an illegal, wrongly constituted and Nicodemus meeting of a political party".

“This shameful development is a further manifestation of the level of impunity, recklessness, disrespect for rules and disdain for our laws by the APC administration, whose latest action exposes a move towards instituting the art of running processes and programmes through illegality, illicitness, illegitimate and unlawful means driven by crude force and naked power.”

PDP said the action of Mr. President, in using public facilities and resources for APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting was the height of corruption as well as a desecration of the sanctity of the seat of power and our national values.

The party also called for the resignation of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami maintaining that Malami should have advised Buhari and the party against using the Presidential Villa for their NEC meeting.

According to the statement: “It is even more distressing that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, is part of this desecration of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) by functioning as a notary public to a political party and using official facilities of FEC chamber to administer oath of office to a functionary of a political party, in total disregard to his oath of office, the code of conduct prohibitions under the 5th Schedule and extant public service rules.

“This is the same Attorney General, who has been prosecuting others for alleged but unsubstantiated use of public resources for activities of their political parties.

“Malami has therefore become ethically challenged to continue in office as the Chief Law Officer of our nation.

“Our party therefore demands that the Attorney General should immediately resign from office and surrender himself for prosecution.”

In a related development, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has in a tweet, condemned the use of the State House for political party operations and meetings.

@SERAPNigeria described it as being analogous to using public money/ property to fund or support political party operations.

“This is unethical and an abuse of office. It can erode public trust and weaken democracy”.