Lawmaker: Nigeria Drifting Towards Dictatorship

By James Sowole in Akure

Worried by the incessant attacks on the legislative arm of government since the coming on board of President Muhammadu Buhari over a year ago, member of House of Representatives, Prince Mike Omogbehin has asked Nigerians to be on guard as the country is drifting towards dictatorship.

Omogbehin who is representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency in Ondo State, also berated the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government for allegedly using the anti-graft agencies to witch-hunt members of the opposition.

The lawmaker bared his mind during an interaction with journalists in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

According to the lawmaker, who was displeased by the turn of events, said the federal government was becoming dictatorial in the handling of affairs in the country particularly the National Assembly matters.

“President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is becoming dictatorial; the executive has the intention of usurping the power and authority of the National Assembly. I can tell you that 80 per cent of parliamentarian will not agree with this.

“Buhari’s administration has dabbled into the internal affairs of the Nigerian’s parliament. We call on Nigerians to wake up to defend themselves; we the parliamentarians are the true representatives of our people. We have a role to play to check the executive arm, what the executive arm under Buhari is doing is to bastardise the National Assembly to make them a wiping boy so as to unable to perform their statutory functions.

“This is a very dangerous dimension, this is undemocratic practice and we should not allow it stand in Nigeria,” he said.

Omogbehin, who frowned at the way the anti-graft war was being fought, said Nigerians are conscious of the fact that the war was targeted at the opposition party in the country.

“What has happened in the last one year is a deliberate probe to the campaign fund of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as if the APC did not campaign, as if APC sourced their funds from heaven.

“ To be taken serious, Buhari has to give Nigerians the audited report of their own campaign fund.

“They must furnish Nigerians with their audited account to give them legitimacy to do what they are doing to the opposition. What they are doing now is purely vindictive, what they are trying to do is to frighten the members of the opposition to join their party because once you live the PDP and go to the APC, you become a saint and that is not acceptable.

“For Buhari to be taken seriously, he should start from the APC, he should start from members of PDP who crossed to his party even after the election. We are no longer bordered because he is using the anti-graft agencies to silence the opposition and we know this time shall pass,” Omogbehin stated.