Leader of opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will today, mount the dock at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Abuja to defend allegations of operating foreign accounts while he was serving as governor, contrary to the provisions of the law.
Already, ahead of today’s commencement of the trial, leaders and party members have converged on Abuja to give support to him, just as the party has accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of harassment of its members and stopping them from travelling to Abuja to solidarise with their leader.
A reliable source within the party disclosed in Abuja last night that several party leaders from Lagos, Ekiti and Ondo states arrived Abuja yesterday to accompany the former Governor to the Tribunal today.
It was learnt that the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi also arrived Abuja because of the decision of leaders of the party to support Asiwaju Tinubu at the Tribunal.
According to the source, “we are fully here to support our leader. We are fully convinced that this trial is politically motivated because of the pains inflicted on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the last elections by our party. We will be at the tribunal in support of our great party leader.
Asiwaju Tinubu is being tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal for allegedly operating foreign accounts while he served as Governor.
ACN condemns harassment of members
Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has condemned, in the strongest terms, the harassment of its members by the police, who allegedly stopped them from travelling to Abuja yesterday to show solidarity with their party leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is due to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party expressed shock at ‘such blatant misuse of state power against the opposition’, calling it the beginning of a dangerous slide towards crass dictatorship. It wondered why the police, “apparently acting on orders, would deprive Nigerians of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights to move freely and express their opinions within their country, more so when they are not carrying arms or causing public disorder”.
ACN said stopping the vehicles conveying the party members and confiscating the keys to the vehicles, is nothing but sheer government tyranny against its own people.
“This is a new law for those who are hell bent on abridging personal freedoms and muffling the voice of the opposition.
“The decision to virtually arrest all our members heading to Abuja to show solidarity with their party leader is a big blow to the rule of law and negates the tenets of constitutional democracy.
It confirms the general belief that, indeed, the charges against Asiwaju were politically motivated,” ACN said.
In a related development, it was learnt that the party leaders, yesterday, met at the Asokoro home of Asiwaju Tinubu to look into the crisis created among the lawmakers of the party at the House of Representatives over the sharing of committees.
Some of the female ACN Reps were said to have been aggrieved over the constitution of the Committee before it was made public last Thursday by the Speaker, Hon Amiunu Tambuwal.
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