WE CONDEMN REPRESSION OF #OCCUPYNASS AND SHIITES’ PROTESTS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND HATE SPEECH BILLS, ILLEGAL DETENTION OF SOWORE AND GROWING ATTACKS ON DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS
We of the Socialist Party of Nigeria strongly condemn the repression of the protest marches against the Social Media Bill and Hate Speech Bill to the National Assembly under the auspices of #OccupyNASS and the seizure of the camera of a journalist covering the protest. We equally condemn the bloody repression of the members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly referred to as Shiites, with a secondary school girl shot dead and some journalists working with Reuters news agency whisked away to unknown destination.
We view the repression of Nigerians who trooped out against these two anti-democratic Bills as a heightened level of attacks on democratic rights. We condemn the arrest of activists in Enugu State, who participated in the action. We call for their immediate release.
We call for wider mobilisation to resist the descent into tyranny and defeat the two anti-democratic Bills .We also condemn the continued illegal incarceration of the Publisher of Saharareporters and Convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore and student activist, Olawale Bakare Mandate, despite the service of release warrant by Honourable Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court. We also condemn the continuous incarceration and trial of another journalist, Agba Jalingo on trumped-up terrorism charges for criticising the Governor Benedict Ayade regime of Cross River State. We hereby for the umpteenth time demand their release. We also demand the immediate dropping of trumped-up criminal charges against Abiodun Bamigboye, SPN Acting National Chairperson, by Nigerian Police for intervening in the legitimate struggle of poor casual workers of Sumal Foods, Ibadan, who daily are subjected to slave conditions.
We call on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC) to take a frontal place in the struggles for defence of democratic rights and better living conditions. The Socialist Party of Nigeria is prepared to defend hard-won democratic and political rights as capitalism in Nigeria experiences its death agony.
We call for mobilisation for mass protests culminating in a nationwide general strike to push for full minimum wage implementation without retrenchment, defence of democratic rights and demand the release of all political prisoners.
The harmony of all the ruling elite parties in eroding democratic rights confirms the need for a genuine working people’s political alternative. The labour movement must rise to the task of building a genuine working people’s alternative by joining to build the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN). As a step, the Socialist Party of Nigeria offers a clear-cut socialist programme for workers and youth searching for a way out of the nightmare of capitalism.
Abiodun Bamigboye
Acting National Chairperson
Chinedu Bosah
National Secretary
Website: www.socialistpartyofnigeria.org.ng
E-mail: [email protected]