The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says President Muhammadu Buhari has violated the United Nations International Charter on Human Rights by banning the use of Twitter in Nigeria.
In a statement on Wednesday by Kola Ologbondiyan, it’s
national publicity secretary, the party noted that banning Twitter in Nigeria is a clear violation of Article 19 of the UN Charter as well as section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guaranteed freedom of expression to all Nigerians.
It therefore called on the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and other members of the international communities to impose visa ban on Buhari and members of his cabinet involved in stifling free speech in Nigeria.
The federal government on Friday indefinitely suspended Twitter’s operations in the country.
“The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria,” a statement by Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture stated
The suspension came two days after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Buhari that was widely perceived as offensive.
However, PDP said the measure was excessive and an infringement on the rights of others.
PDP also urged the world bodies to equally sanction the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami as well as certain leaders of the APC “for their individual ignoble roles in the ban imposed on Twitter in addition to associated harassments and threats to Nigerians.
It specifically urged world leaders to bar President Buhari, Lai Mohammed, Abubakar Malami and their family members from entering their territories for any private purposes whatsoever.
“Our party holds that the trio of President Buhari, Lai Mohammed and Abubakar Malami and their agents cannot continue to enjoy diplomatic privileges and rights extended by virtue of their offices in Nigeria, while at the same time blatantly flouting the UN Charter, which Nigeria is a signatory to, as well as the 1999 Constitution (as amended) upon which provisions they hold office.
“This is more so as the stifling of information flow as being witnessed in the ban on Twitter further creates an enabling environment for abuse of human rights and acts of terrorism in our country,” the statement noted.
It called on the international community to hold the trio of President Buhari, Lai Mohammed and Malami responsible for the escalated abuse of human rights, constitutional violations as well as the situations that embolden terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and vandals in our country.
It said the party has commenced the compilation of list of APC leaders, involved in the infringing on the rights of Nigerians for onward transmission to the UN and other world bodies for sanctions.
