Sani charges Buhari to bequeath rule of law legacy
By Tunde Opalana, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has been charged to ensure he bequeaths a legacy of rule of law and entrenchment of fundamental human rights in the second term of his administration.
Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna South in the 8th Senate, said the President should use his second term to correct the many ills and abuse of fundamental human rights and disrespect for the rule of law that were hallmarks of his administration in the past four years
Sani in a lecture delivered at the monthly congress of the Nigerian Union if Journalists (NUJ), FCT chapter in Abuja at the weekend, said the best legacy Buhari can bequeath to Nigerians is to uphold the rule of law and fundamental rights of citizens.
He said “in as much as President Buhari is desirous of saving a legacy for posterity and his personal history, the most important legacy that he will leave is to uphold the rule of law, fundamental rights and preserve democratic values that will benefit everyone.”
The politician also advised Buhari to do away with giving preferential treatment to certain sections of the nation against others, saying “if we treat one part of the country with so much and treat others with so little, certainly, the pillars on which the unity of the nation stand will continue to stagger.”
Lamenting the spate of intolerance of people in authority of criticism of their actions or policies by the citizenry, the senator said “it is repugnant and unfortunate that two decades after the restoration of democracy, the people in position of power are still intolerant to criticism and dissent.
“Lest we forget that this democracy is a product of protest; at sometimes, open rebellion and dissent against the military dictatorship. So we can properly say that this democracy is a product of that conscientious objection and denunciation of the system that held us to ransom as a nation for decades under a military junta.”
The activist turned politician urged the federal government and security agencies to refrain from attacking and preventing Nigerians from protesting against public policies.
According to him, government’s intolerance to opposition voices would be compelling Nigerians who are desirous of engaging in peaceful and legal protest to resort to violent activities.
“If people are desirous of protecting and defending their freedom through peaceful protest, the government has the constitutional responsibility to protect their rights to express their feelings through protests.
“If you crush dissent and jail dissenters, you are forcing people to take the road of violence,” Sani warned.
He advised the government to desist from deploying state security apparatus for the indiscriminate arrest of people for expressing their opinion.
“By using force to crush dissent from ordinary Nigerians, we are inviting people to take up the vigilante option in terms of defending themselves,” he asserted.
