The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the arrest of some judges by the operatives of the Department of State Services.
It said that the Gestapo-like raid on the homes of a number of Justices of the Supreme and the Federal High court judges was unwarranted.
In a statement by its Spokesperson, Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja on Sunday, the PDP said, “This invasion is the latest in a series of actions taken by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration which revealed its disregard for the rule of law and its abject disdain for the principle of separation of powers.”
The party said Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was assaulted by DSS operatives for insisting on that the security agents should uphold the rule of law, while the affected judges were manhandled and their workers beaten up.
According to the party, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is becoming fascist.
It said the slide into fascism started with the invasion of the Akwa Ibom State Government House by the DSS and the continued detention of several people despite courts orders to the contrary.
The PDP said, “This slide into fascism has included a sustained attack on the leadership of the National Assembly as President Buhari has sought to break its independence and make it a rubber stamp to suit his will.
“It is worthy to note that never in the history of our country has any President attacked the judiciary in such a manner.
“Even the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, whose regime is remembered by many as the second worst regime in Nigerian history did not carry out such Gestapo-style attacks on the members of the judiciary.
“By bringing this attack to the judiciary, President Buhari has shown that he has no desire to respect the pillars of our democracy.
“He has shown his desire to kill off our democracy and convert it to an autocracy without checks and balances.”
The PDP further alleged that the government had no regard for the rule of law and does not care about court orders.
“This Government has disregarded the orders of the ECOWAS court and every other court in the land and continue to detain Sambo Dasuki illegally. They continue to detain hundreds of Nigerians without bringing them to trial and against valid court orders,” it said.
It argued that the right thing for the DSS to have done with regard to the judges accused of corruption is to “forward a petition containing any wrong doing to the NJC along with any evidence in support thereof”.
“The path not to follow is this Gestapo-style invasion in the middle of the night that involves the use of sledgehammers to breakdown gates and front doors for DSS to gain access to the homes,” it said.
“Nigerians can no longer afford to stand aside and watch the Buhari Administration destroy the foundations of our democracy that we have built for several years.”
