All Progressives Congress National spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has stated that the party was never opposed to the proscription of Boko Haram as Femi Fani Kayode suggested in recent interviews.
Mohammed made the clarification in a statement released on Wednesday, where he indicated that Femi Fani-Kayode deliberately distorted the facts and must apologize for claims APC and Boko Haram were one and the same or face legal action.
The statement reads, ”On June 9th 2013, the ACN issued a statement in which it said in the opening paragraph ‘The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has said that the recent proscription order against Boko Haram and Ansaru, desirable
as it may be in tackling the terrorist organisations, violates the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by stifling the press and tampering with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians’.”
”Any person, especially one who supposedly had the benefit of a sound education, who interprets this statement as a condemnation of the proscription itself is either acting out of deliberate mischief or has failed to take advantage of his good education, perhaps in a desperation to escape justice at all cost.
”What the statement means is that in as much as the FG may have done a desirable thing in proscribing the terrorist groups, a section of the proscription Order violates the constitution by stifling the press and tampering with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.
”We then went ahead to quote that offensive section of the Proscription Order as Section 5 (1), which prescribes a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years ‘for any person who knowingly, in any manner, directly or indirectly, solicits or renders support for the commission of an act of terrorism or to a terrorist group’.
”We said ‘support, as defined by the Order, includes ‘incitement to commit a terrorist act through the Internet, or any electronic means OR THROUGH THE USE OF PRINTED MATERIALS OR THROUGH THE DISSEMINATION OF TERRORIST INFORMATION (emphasis ours). We said this section is in conflict with Chapter II Section 22 of the Nigeria constitution which says ‘The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media, shall AT ALL TIMES BE FREE (emphasis ours) to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people’.
”We said by stifling the press, the Order is abridging a part of the fundamental human rights guaranteed every citizen under Chapter Four of the Nigerian Constitution in Section 39 (1), which states thus:
‘Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information WITHOUT INTERFERENCE?’ (emphasis ours), and warned that this section could be used against journalists and the opposition,” APC said.
In order not to be misunderstood or to have our stand distorted by mischief makers seeking to feather their own nest at the expense of the truth, we then said ”Against the background of insinuations in government circles, let us be clear that we do not condone the activities of these sects that have killed and maimed innocent Nigerians and turned a section of the country into a battle field. Terrorism in all its ramifications is condemnable, and no responsible
government will allow any group, no matter its name, grievances or ideology, to carry out terrorist acts unchecked.”
The party said its intervention merited a response from the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party which both issued instant clarifications.
It quoted a Presidency statement as saying: ”For the avoidance of doubt, the Order is not meant to stop journalists from carrying out their duties or function of news gathering or reporting as they differ from terrorist activities. Rather, the Order is out to criminalize acts of incitement by anyone, group of persons or institutions to commit terrorist acts through dissemination of terrorist information’.
And the PDP said in its own statement: ”For the avoidance of doubt, no section of the Order stifled the press; violated or seeks to violate any provision of the constitution. Instead the Order reinforced the provisions of the constitution guaranteeing the security and welfare of all Nigerians.”
The party said that although Mr. Femi Fani Kayode had tried to downplay his earlier statements where he claimed Boko Haram was the armed wing of the APC, he would be made to defend his libelous statements in court unless he tendered an unreserved apology.
”In line with his shifty and deceitful style, Mr. Fani-Kayode, in his rambling response, tried to tone down his earlier statement by saying ‘I believe strongly that the APC comprises of at least a handful of Boko Haram sympathisers and questionable individuals who have at various times expressed a certain degree of support for Boko Haram’.
”But our response to this toned-down version of what he said on television is that it is too late in the day for him to back away from his earlier statement, for which he must apologize or face a court action,” it said.
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