Abuja – A political analyst, Mr Innocent Lagi, on Wednesday faulted sealing of Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt, venue of national convention of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by police, saying it was unconstitutional.
In a telephone interview, Lagi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the action of the police and other security operatives by stopping the convention was a breach of freedom of association.
He also faulted police claim that delegates and journalists were barred from accessing the venue in obedience to court order.
“The security barricade is unconstitutional and a breach of the right of association.
“A court cannot stop people from associating except as provided for in the Constitution. So, what does the Constitution say about people who want to associate.
“ The freedom of association cannot be restricted by the court; if there are two conflicting orders, which one has the police chosen to enforce?
“Police did not go there to forestall breakdown of law and order.
“When there is a faction of PDP that agreed to have the convention in the venue, they should be protected against the other faction that doesn’t agree with them.
“There are no two conventions taking place in that venue for anybody to think that there was going to be a breakdown of law and other.
“One faction of the association is deciding to have an election, so who is going to challenge the same people who have agreed to have a convention
“There is one convention called by a faction; the other faction is not ready for its own convention. So, who is going to break the law and order,’’ Lagi added.
He said that it was unfortunate that some government institutions and agencies had become partisan, adding that that would not augur well for democracy.
“It is not the party, it is not the logo, it is the people that are the political parties and at the end of the day, it is the people.
“So whether or not the name is PDP or any other name, you can’t defeat their objective of right of association,’’ he added.
A court in Abuja had on Monday ordered the suspension of the convention slated for Wednesday, barring police and electoral officials from the event.
Same day, another Federal High Court in Port Harcourt ordered the PDP to go ahead with the convention, and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to supervise the exercise.
The court also ordered that the police should ensure that adequate security was provided at the venue.
But the party’s delegates arrived at the venue early in the morning to discover that it had been sealed by the police, and all roads leading to it barricaded.
Armoured Personnel Carriers were deployed at strategic points near the stadium and armed policemen condoned off the area.
But swiftly, the delegates and their leaders converged on the party’s secretariat on Aba Road where they held “non-election convention’’ and extended the tenure of the party’s national caretaker committee by 12 months. (NAN)