President Buhari’s recent statement disagreeing with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole for threatening aggrieved party members seeking redress from the court, over the controversial primaries of the party, has been commended by the Zikist-Buharist Movement (ZBM), a political pressure group.
The group said it was impressed with the President for speaking up to uphold the rule of law.
In a statement by Godwin Onwusi, the Acting Secretary, South East zone, ZBM expressed shock that Oshiomhole who became Governor through the judicial process could bar aggrieved party members from seeking justice in court.
It commended President Buhari for upholding the rule of law, which is the basic tenets of liberal democracy, which checkmates anti-democrats ”like the National Chairman” whose dictatorial tendencies are inimical to the health of our great party and growth of democracy.
ZBM agreed with the President that those who were deprived of their rights were at liberty to approach the courts; especially”when Oshiomhole and his cronies mangled the primaries and atrophied the internal mechanisms of the party.”
According to the statement, the decision of the President was in line with Sections 6 (6)(b) and 36 (1) of the 1999 constitution (as altered), which guarantee every citizen the right to vent his or her grievances in court.
“The President has shown that he is a true democrat and respecter of Rule of Law and due process. He has restored the confidence of all aggrieved members in the party. With the President’s intervention, our great party APC will now go into the elections with the concerted efforts of both the candidates and aggrieved aspirants who are hopeful of getting justice in court,” ZBM stated.
The group, which is campaigning for the re-election of Buhari in 2019, insisted that any attempt to deny aggrieved party members access to court is an infringement on their rights as guaranteed by the 1999 constitution, more so when the appeal panel set up by the party did not sit to hear petitions submitted by aggrieved aspirants.
They also noted that the President has re-united the party as it campaigns for the forthcoming general elections, to ensure that all members, including those aggrieved, work together for the success of APC in the polls.