Like Punch Newspapers, The Nation Editorial Hits Buhari
LAGOS DECEMBER 31ST (NEWSRANGERS)-Like The PUNCH Newspapers which recently criticized the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over its disregard for the rule of law, The NATION Newspaper is also not happy that the supposed civilian government has been disregarding public opinion and valid court orders.
In its editorial opinion published on Sunday, December 29, titled Freed at last, The Nation newspaper believed to be owned by a national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu hailed the recent release of publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore and former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki but warned that the disrespect for court orders must never happen again.
The paper stated that it is unacceptable that President Buhari would constantly feign ignorance of notorious facts of state agents acting like gangsters.
According to the newspaper, “Nigeria belongs to us all; not just the government. Under our law, an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty and so adjudged by a competent court.”
As President, The Nation noted that Buhari is not just the chief executive, but also the father of the nation.
“ He is the only elected official with pan-Nigeria mandate. He should begin to act his office. A slide to dictatorship is a call for chaos. Nigeria is a signatory to protocols and pacts that bind us to the international system where regular peer review is the order.
“ When it pleases the government, it goes cap in hand round countries of the Global South seeking all forms of support; at other times, it claims a non-existent independence in an inter-dependent world. This is a system where nothing is forgotten and pleading sovereignty that should be self-evident is an admission of weakness.
“ The future belongs to us all; it cannot be left for a few to act against the tenets of the Constitution and constitutionalism,” the newspaper stated.
It said it is “unfortunate that at this point in our history; we were so close to being a pariah state again” before the Federal Government took action by releasing Sowore and Dasuki who Buhari and the Attorney General of the federation, Abubakar Malami had before claimed could not be released due to security reasons.
While not in support of a call for violent overthrow of an elected government as it would amount to forceful seizure or upturn of the People’s Will, The Nation said the judiciary should be allowed to freely perform its duty.
“Anything contrary to that is state terrorism, which is as distasteful and dangerous as the call for revolution, over which Sowore was charged,” the newspaper stated.
On December 11, The PUNCH newspaper in its controversial editorial titled Buhari’s lawlessness: Our stand accused the Buhari government of serial disregard for human rights and its battering of other arms of government and our democratic institutions.
As a symbolic demonstration of its protest against autocracy and military-style repression, the paper declared that all its print and digital platforms will henceforth prefix Buhari’s name with his rank as a military dictator in the 80s, Major General, and refer to his administration as a regime, until they purge themselves of their “insufferable contempt for the rule of law.”
However, the Daily Trust Newspaper while not disagreeing with PUNCH on the need for the government to improve its democratic credentials and respect for court orders, said the editorial went overboard.
Opera.com
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