- ‘Democracy Is Under Severe Attack’ – PDP Reacts to Fubara’s Exit
- Party accuses ruling APC of shrinking political space and opposition
- Calls for national and international resistance against authoritarian drift
The Peoples Democratic Party has raised strong concern over the defection of Siminalayi Fubara to the All Progressives Congress, warning that the move threatens Nigeria’s democratic balance and accelerates a drift toward what it described as a one-party system.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Enemobong, the party described Fubara’s exit as both shameful and self-inflicted. The statement said, “This news, as pitiful as it is, is an exemplar of the old legal maxim volenti non fit injuria, meaning to one who is willing, no harm can be done.”
The party insisted that Fubara’s choices led him to his current position. It said, “Everyone who has followed the developments that culminated in this uneventful defection will recall that the Governor willingly travelled the path that took him to this destination.”
It added that the governor enjoyed wide support during the crisis that preceded his defection. The statement said, “The Governor should have nothing less than praise for our party, civil society organisations, and all Nigerians who freely stood up in his defence, until he capitulated.”
Issuing a warning to the governor, the PDP said, “It is our prayer that the Governor should not suffer from Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim falls in love with his captor.”
The party argued that the defection reflects deeper problems in Nigeria’s political system. It declared, “The Rivers situation is a testament to the dysfunctional nature of our democracy, where individuals are bigger and stronger than institutions and can use the apparatus of the Federal Government to bring opponents to their knees.”
It also accused the ruling party of narrowing the political space, warning, “With the unrelenting disposition of the ruling party towards the attainment of a one-party state … democracy is under severe attack in Nigeria.”
The PDP called on citizens, institutions and international partners to resist any shift toward authoritarian rule. It added, “Everyone must rise together to oppose this ignoble trip toward electoral authoritarianism.”
