‘Organised criminality’ — Obi knocks n’assembly over emergency rule endorsement

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, has berated the national assembly for backing President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers state.

On Thursday, the national assembly ratified the decision of the president through voice votes.

In a statement on Friday, Obi said the approval further exposes the fragility of Nigeria’s democracy, which he described as transactional and devoid of genuine opposition.

“The parliamentary vote held yesterday clearly demonstrates that democracy, in its true sense, does not exist in Nigeria. Where there is no functional opposition, democracy cannot thrive,” he wrote on X.

“What we are left with is not a genuine democratic system, but one that is transactional, compromised, and, in many respects, resembles organised criminality.”

He contrasted Nigeria’s system with those of South Africa and Indonesia, noting that proportional representation in those two countries has ensured fair seat allocation and prevented elected officials from switching parties without losing their positions.

Obi proposed that if Nigeria adopted similar mechanisms, the senate’s 109 seats would reflect a more balanced distribution of 44 for the All Progressives Congress (APC), 33 for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and 27 for the LP.

He said the house of representatives should follow suit with 144 APC members, 108 PDP members, and 90 LP members.

“The absence of laws restricting party defection allows politicians to switch allegiances freely and without consequence. This not only weakens the opposition but also makes a mockery of the electorate’s will and undermines the integrity of our democratic institutions,” he added.

Obi posited that endorsement of the emergency rule by parliament reflects a deeply compromised system.