Akume To Jonathan: Halt Imminent Civilian ‘Coup’ In Osun

The immediate past governor of Benue State,Senator George Akume yesterday likened the preparation of the PDP for today’s governorship election in Osun State to executing a civilian coup.
Citing the militarization of the state and alleged coercion of the electorate by the PDP ahead of the election,Senator Akume asked election observers, civil society organisations and the international community to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to avail the Osun people “a civil enabling environment to perform their constitutional duty of electing their governor.”
The senate minority leader ,in a statement yesterday said: ”This culture is both undemocratic and antithetical. It is even unsustainable.
That it worked for PDP in the Ekiti does not mean it will work in Osun state whose level of citizens’ vigilance is above par.”
The APC chieftain said that the soldiers deployed to Osun State would serve Nigeria better by rescuing “our abducted daughters and restore our territorial integrity by chasing out the criminal insurgents North East of Nigeria.”
He pointed out that while the APC has been campaigning and mobilizing the electorate to come out and vote, the PDP “ is busy celebrating that with the arrival of the military, their victory is assured. The PDP is threatening the electorate who will dare to come out and exercise their civic responsibility, with arrest.”
Akume added: “Democracy is defined as government of the people, for the people and by the people. This means everything should be done to encourage people participation in elections.
Elections are also said to be free, fair and credible when citizens are allowed free will of franchise.
“Deployment of heavy security with frequent muscling of the people during electioneering or actual vote cannot by any cannon of interpretation approximate to free poll. There are already reports of selective arrests and detention of APC members assigned critical roles on election day.”
THE NATION