PRESS STATEMENT
We of the
Socialist Party of Nigeria strongly condemn the repression of the protest
marches against the Social Media Bill and Hate Speech Bill to the National
Assembly under the auspices of #OccupyNASS and the seizure of the camera of a
journalist covering the protest. We equally condemn the bloody repression of
the members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly referred to as
Shiites with a secondary school girl shot dead and some journalists working
with Reuters news agency whisked away to unknown destination.
We view the
repression of Nigerians who trooped out against the two anti-democratic Bills
as a heightened level of attacks on democratic rights. We condemn the arrest of
activists in Enugu State, who participated in the action. We call for their
immediate release.
We call for
wider mobilisation to resist the descent into tyranny and defeat the two
anti-democratic Bills .We also condemn the continued illegal incarceration of
the Publisher of Saharareporters and Convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement,
Omoyele Sowore and student activist, Olawale Bakare Mandate, despite the
service of release warrant by Honourable Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal
High Court. We also condemn the continuous incarceration and trial of another
journalist, Agba Jalingo on trumped-up terrorism charges for criticising the
Governor Benedict Ayade regime of Cross River State. We hereby for the
umpteenth time demand their release.
We also demand the immediate dropping of
trumped-up criminal charges against Abiodun Bamigboye, Acting National
Chairperson, by Nigerian Police for intervening in the legitimate struggle of
poor casual workers of Sumal Foods Ibadan who daily are subjected to slave
conditions.
We call on the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour
Congress (ULC) to take a frontal place in the struggles for defence of
democratic rights and better living conditions. The Socialist Party of Nigeria
is prepared to defend hard-won democratic and political rights as capitalism in
Nigeria experiences its death agony.
We call for
mobilisation for mass protests culminating in a nationwide general strike to
push for full minimum wage implementation without retrenchment, defence of
democratic rights and demand the release of all political prisoners.
The harmony of
all the ruling elite parties in eroding democratic rights confirms the need for
a genuine working people's political alternative. The labour movement must rise
to the task of building a genuine working people's alternative by joining to
build the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN). As a step, the Socialist Party of
Nigeria offers a clear-cut socialist programme for workers and youth searching
for a way out of the nightmare of capitalism.
Abiodun Bamigboye Chinedu
Bosah
Acting National Chairperson National
Secretary
No comments:
Post a Comment