Olusegun Ariyo
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The newly elected National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ini Ememobong, has described as shameful and pitiful the violent standoff at the party’s Wadata Plaza headquarters in Abuja.Ememobong made this statement on Tuesday while responding to questions in an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television monitored by Urban Express News Online He said that the standoff indicates a disturbing decline in Nigeria’s democratic culture, questioning the process surrounding the disputed meeting.“Is that an NEC meeting? Every NEC meeting must be monitored by INEC. It’s very shameful and a pity that this is happening after six election cycles.“Democratic consolidation should be firm. Democratic norms should be valued. They should form part of our way of life. Sadly, every election cycle seems to be getting worse.“In a democracy, the majority will have their way, and the minority will have their say. But what you have now is a minority trying to impose its will on the majority,” he said.The PDP’s mouthpiece, however, issued a stern warning that the incident exposed party members to danger.The lawyer pointed out that several Nigerians had died from inhaling tear gas in the past, accusing the ruling party of enabling hostility against the opposition.
