The former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, has called on President Bola Tinubu to caution state governors over what he described as undemocratic restrictions on the constitutional rights of citizens.
Metuh made the call in a Facebook post on Sunday, reacting to the statement by Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, that Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, must obtain security clearance before entering the state.
It was reported that Okpebholo made the comment while receiving a former federal lawmaker, Marcus Onobun, into the All Progressives Congress.
The governor had linked Obi’s recent visit to Benin, where he donated N15m to a nursing school, with renewed violence in the state.
“That man who says he has no ‘shishi’ came and dropped N15m. Where did he get it from?
“After he left, three people were killed.
“For this reason, Obi must not come to Edo without security clearance,” Okpebholo had said.
Reacting on Sunday, Metuh described the governor’s position as a threat to democratic values and individual freedoms.
“I have been recuperating from a spinal procedure, but have just read the disturbing news that the elected Governor of Edo State, who is otherwise a decent and distinguished senator, has banned a fellow Nigerian from visiting his state,” Metuh wrote.
He noted that a similar precedent had earlier been set by another governor from the North Central zone and cautioned against normalising what he called unconstitutional practices.
“Whilst one understands the zeal to prove wholesome support and loyalty to our president, it is incontrovertible that these acts, completely go against the bedrock and grundnorm of democratic governance, and are antithetical to the constitutionally guaranteed inalienable right to freedom and liberty irrespective of political beliefs or associations,” he said.
Metuh urged President Tinubu to distance himself from such practices and uphold the inclusive values he was known for during his tenure as Lagos State governor.
“We remember the Governor Bola Tinubu who ran a widely acclaimed all-inclusive cabinet/government, and made Lagos home for all Nigerians then,” he said.
He warned that continued silence from political elites may harm the country’s democratic fabric.
“Sadly, so many of our leaders have kept mute either on account of political correctness or for fear of personal reprisals or possible exclusion in the sharing of political appointments or perhaps in their quest for plain material benefits,” he added.
Metuh concluded by appealing to President Tinubu to “check this very disturbing trend by calling these governors to order.”
“Let Nigeria truly belong to all citizens and may all persons be accorded their freedom and liberties across the land,” he wrote.
