A leading pro-democracy and a
Non-governmental organization – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
(HURIWA) has endorsed the popular decision of brave Imo citizens to stage
series of peaceful protests against current serial and gross misgovernance and
alleged corruption by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State.
Besides, HURIWA has strongly
condemned as primitive, retrogressive, unconstitutional and anti-people the
plot by the Imo state police command to undermine the pro-democracy “Occupy
Imo” campaign by completely peaceful Imo state citizens and supporters of
genuine democracy and good governance.
HURIWA stated that the right to
peaceful assembly is constitutionally sacrosanct and inviolable and wondered
why the police have imposed an unconstitutional duty on itself to scuttle the
enjoyment of the constitutionally guaranteed right to free assembly which is at
the core of constitutional democracy.
In a statement issued to the media
against the backdrop of reports of police brutality in Imo state and
totalitarian attempts by armed security forces to violently break-up the civil
protest, HURIWA asked the National Assembly to defend democracy and civil rule
by cautioning the Imo state police command and the police hierarchy in Abuja to
comply by constitutional provisions and protect human rights.
"HURIWA condemns absolutely the
attack on civil liberty as exemplified by the brute and crude measures put in
place by the Imo state police command to frustrate the peaceful holding of
civil demonstration against the apparent and glaring maladministration,
high-handedness, dictatorship, lack of good governance and total breakdown of
respect for the civil liberties of citizens of Imo State. The citizens have the
constitutional freedom to protest against the current bonanza of extra
budgetary spending of multimillion Naira by governor Okorocha to invite rogue
foreign leaders such as Jacob Zuma of South Africa and to erect uselessly
idol-minded statues in a strategic area of the Imo State capital. The Imo
people have the right to demand good governance and open government which is
lacking in Imo state due to nepotism and discriminatory use of Imo resources to
service bogus projects and offices controlled by biological family members of
Okorocha".
“The Imo state house of assembly is a
typical example of a house of horror whereby the members behave like persons
from extraterrestrial universe and completely cut off from the heartbeats of
Imo state citizens. In the last seven years under the current administration in
Imo state, Rochas Okorocha has converted governance to nepotistic family
affairs and have embarked on a spending spree and widespread alleged brigandage
and wanton looting of resources but the assembly is weak and docile”.
“The decision of the organizers
of the occupy Imo protest to speak out is in line with chapter four of
the 1999 constitution, the universal declarations of Human Rights and the
International democratic laws and conventions adopted and domesticated by the
Nigerian state of which Imo is only but a part”.
HURIWA Cited Articles 19; 20 and 21
of the UNIVERSAL DECLARATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS domesticated as chapter four of
1999 Constitution(as amended) as supporting free and peaceful protest in
Nigeria thus: “Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and
expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference
and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers; Article 20 (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of
peaceful assembly and association; (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an
association; Article 21(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the
government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives;
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country;
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government,
this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be
by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by
equivalent free voting procedures".
HURIWA said the extreme dictatorship
and lack of good governance in Imo state has reached an epidemic levels demanding
declaration of a state of emergency and the immediate impeachment of governor
Okorocha and his arrest and prosecution for the bastardization and corruption
of political governance which goes contrary to all civilized norms and our
constitutional tenets.
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