Human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, has noted that it will be hypocritical for President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to observe the June 12.
Gatekeepers News reports that Nigeria’s democracy day was initially celebrated on May 29 of every year, but was moved to June 12, in honour of the late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12 Presidential election, which was annulled by the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.
Adegboruwa, in a statement on Wednesday, said it will be hypocritical of the government to claim to celebrate the ideals of the June 12 mandate, when “the same government is in gross violation of the freedom of expression by people it claims to govern, through its illegal ban of Twitter and the unwarranted censorship of all media organisations.”
The Federal Government on June 4 suspended Twitter’s operation in Nigeria citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence and also ordered media houses to stop using the microblogging platform.
Gatekeepers News reports that the suspension order comes after the social media giant deleted Buhari’s ‘civil war’ remark.
Adegboruwa noted that June 12 represents total freedom, the free expression of the will of the people, justice, equality and respect for human rights.
“The decision of the government to suspend the operations of Twitter and to force media organisations to comply therewith are contrary to the spirit of June 12,” he said.
Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa
As a mark of protest in rejecting the suspension, Adegboruwa asked all Nigerians of good conscience to isolate the government by boycotting all programmes and events that may be slated for the celebration of the June 12 election, until the exit of the present Buhari administration.
“We cannot continue to live in a nation where the exercise of the fundamental and constitutional rights of citizens depends on the personal idiosyncrasies of those in power, where the institutions of State are deployed whimsically, to settle personal grievances, as President Buhari is doing in respect of his personal dispute with Twitter, for which all Nigerians are now subjected to forced solidarity”, Adegboruwa said.
He said it is unfortunate that the National Assembly could not find its voice in support of the people of Nigeria at this critical time when their rights are being trampled upon with crass impunity, by the executive arm of government.
