Group says government descending into military dictatorship


They were prevented from flying for security reasons – airport Commandant

Posted By: Augustine Ehikioya,



Some members of the Southern and Middle Belt Forum (southern flank) led by Chief Edwin Clark, were on Monday stopped from traveling to Makurdi to attend the Middle Belt conference on restructuring.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja after they were disallowed from flying, the group said they were told they could not fly to Makurdi because of security reasons even after securing a charter aircraft.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, John Nwodo, said the elders spent about five hours at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja trying to obtain clearance to make the journey but were refused by the Commandant of the Makurdi Airport whose name was given as Lt. Commander A. Audu.

He said: “We arrived in time for our flight today at 12 noon; the airport commandant disallowed us from flying and said we needed to go and get permission to land in Makurdi.

“We consider this fundamental infringement on our democratic rights of freedom of movement and freedom of association. There is nothing in our law precluding us from moving to wherever we like, from holding an opinion in so far as we do not breach any law in Nigeria.

“What has happened to us today expresses a lot of doom for fundamental human rights in our country, for the free exchange of ideas as unavoidable instruments of achieving growth and development of our polity.

“We deprecate the treatment that we were given today, which treatment prevented us from physical joining our brethren in the Middle Belt in a common view which we all hold, a very patriotic view, which we think will be the only way to guarantee the future of our country.” he said.

Nwodo, who joined other southern leaders to watch the live transmission of the conference in Chief Clark’s residence, said that they wanted to show solidarity with the Middle Belt people who he said had been supportive to the forum.

He added: “Please publicize this for many reasons. One, the teeming crowd that you saw on television in the Middle Belt is our brethren who showed us solidarity in other zonal summits. The fact that we were barred from showing them this solidarity is bound to hurt them.

“Through this press conference, we want to express our solidarity with them. We want them to know that we are one and the same in our views of the restructuring of the Federation” he said
The group also faulted the recently signed Executive Order 006.

He said “Secondly, to deprecate this new tendency. Not too long ago, the President signed into law an Executive order, which gives him the right to seize people’s assets.
This is almost like a military government. And we think that this is an intrusion into the principles of separation of powers in our country.

“It is the responsibility of the legislature to make law, of the executive to implement the law and the judiciary to interpret the law. I do not think that Section 5 of the Constitution gives the President such Executive authority to make laws.

“The right to property is a fundamental right in a democracy. It cannot be expropriated here without decision of the court. What has happened to us today shows a continuing tendency to slide into a dictatorship in a democratic government.

That is condemnable.” he stated
Asked if the forum suspected any deliberate attempt to sabotage their participation at the Makurdi summit or for other technical reasons, Mr. Yinka Odumakin said “The first jet that was to take us started this funny game of saying that there was a bad weather to Makurdi and that they could not fly. Until we got to other airlines and I asked what’s bad about the weather. They said they were ready to take us.

“As we were about to make payments, they now said there was landing permit issues. They called the commandant in Makurdi, who said they should send application.

“The Chief of Staff to the Benue State Governor said we should fax the application to him and to the commandant. We waited at the airport for hours.

Eventually, the Chief of Staff had to contact the commandant in Makurdi and was told that the landing permit requested by the first airline was still on their table. At that stage, General C. Ariyo Niege, a veteran ex-soldier, who was head of Nigerian military forces in Sudan, went to the commandant in Abuja.

Speaking on his encounter with the commandant in Abuja, Niege said he was told they would not be able to fly to Makurdi due to security reasons.

He said “I pleaded with him that we were having issues in flying to Makurdi for the summit and he told me that for security reasons civilian aircraft were no longer allowed to fly into Makurdi airport.”

http://thenationonlineng.net/restructuring-southern-leaders-barred-from-flying-to-makurdi/

Kai, we told Nigerians about the tyrannical nature of the current ruler.


You can all see that the impunity has started already.


Time will tell.

Rubbish!

Remnants of PDP pretending and only deceiving themselves. You did the same thing to opposition in 2014 so don't come and cry for us now

blackpanda:
Remnants of PDP pretending and only deceiving themselves. You did the same thing to opposition in 2014 so don't come and cry for us now

you still never find this your missing sense

I trust the unknown elements parading as BMC or rather zombies will type rubbish in support of their slavemaster.

Irrelevant lots without clear future. You just ignore them.

They think they are wise, but foolish. May sense fall on them before is too late. Cows!

We are descending low by the day. Some still turn blind eye to what is going on. When we have people at the helm of affairs with a 70's mindset this is what happens

Parasites will make sure that the issue of restructuring never comes up again....


They contribute Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen to the country.... Useless government

Any southerner that supports this current administration will not die well...

Cc ziggylady amarabae lzaa sarrki paperwhite immhotep

Subtle dictatorship! Brace up peeps, the hour is cometh...
your phones will be checked- not because you are a yahoo boy/girl, but they want to check your posts on social media.
Your Facebook pages will be invaded and you will be arrested if you are found wanting.
We saw this coming and most of the so-called Southern forum whatever also saw it coming but turned a blind eye.

Restructuring, the language that make buhari to Sheiver.

Firefire:
I trust the unknown elements parading as BMC or rather zombies will type rubbish in support of their slavemaster.

Irrelevant lots without clear future. You just ignore them.

They think they are wise, but foolish. May sense fall on them before is too late. Cows!

This what u mean?

blackpanda:
Remnants of PDP pretending and only deceiving themselves. You did the same thing to opposition in 2014 so don't come and cry for us now

Why security not arrest them and put them under bar. Useless people ,nuisance.

freeze001:

This what u mean?

As usual, only insults is what wailers are capable of. Pathetic!

What the elders have seen a mile away..

In BMCs voice; "Wat is Southern leaders looking for in Makurdi"
Me: Same thing Buhari & his foot soldiers re looking for in the South.

I urge the middle belters to join us in the protest today in the Hague's. because the Sun must surely rise in the East

Buhari, your cup go soon full.

The first jet that was to take us started this funny game of saying that there was a bad weather to Makurdi and that they could not fly.


........just imagine.
Some people just like taking risk and decide to quench like chicken.
Is this y'all first time of going to Abuja, why didn't they stop you all these time?
Propagandist.

Lol. A certain Nnamdi Kanu comes to mind.

He warned them but they were interested in "restructuring".

An average Northerner is a leech. Biafra and restructuring sounds the same to him. Why don't we agitate for outright breakup?

Enjoy your restructuring peeps

Sharpshooota:
Parasites will make sure that the issue of restructuring never comes up again....


They contribute Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen to the country.... Useless government

Any southerner that supports this current administration will not die well...

Even the terrorist organization called APC promised Nigerians restructuring as part of their FAKE promises and campaign manifesto.

If it’s for security reason, it’s welcome idea.

Sharpshooota:
Cc ziggylady amarabae lzaa sarrki paperwhite immhotep

When will the Nigger-Area army be sent to finally occupy Benue for good ?

Cc lzaa onyeoga pointzerom madridguy buhariguy sarrki shalomc iceberg itsmeaboki yarimo greenback Alariiwo

I don taya to dey talk ontop buhari mata.......aswear

blackpanda:
Remnants of PDP pretending and only deceiving themselves. You did the same thing to opposition in 2014 so don't come and cry for us now

don't worry,you will cry soon

I hope Buhari’s supporters from the South are happy with this news.

Fake News! Who are the leaders?

Goodbye democracy. Now lets go and suffer immensely.
We have worked so hard to get here. right from the time of PDP

The charade this despotic ruler is throwing at us will soon consume him.

dre11:


Group says government descending into military dictatorship


They were prevented from flying for security reasons – airport Commandant






http://thenationonlineng.net/restructuring-southern-leaders-barred-from-flying-to-makurdi/

Sebi na una vote for change!!!

That's a military airport you can't just fly in and out...everything now is political.noboy will stop you from entering benue links transport to makurdi