The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tuesday, demanded the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, to prosecute the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 pandemic, Boss Mustapha.
Mustapha allegedly violated the health safety and social restriction directives during the funeral of the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari.
But, it was noted that the SGF has since rendered an apology for his action.
The position of the opposition party was expressed in a statement by its national spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja.
The PDP affirmed that, “the PDP notes the apology by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic, Boss Mustapha, on the violation of health safety and social restriction directives by certain government officials during the funeral of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari.
“Our party understands that the apology came after widespread condemnation of the conduct of such government officials and other individuals at the funeral.
“The PDP describes as unfortunate that those who make and enforce rules over ordinary Nigerians were found directly violating the same rules with impunity, thereby compromising the efforts to check the spread of the pandemic in our country.
“Our party holds that the SGF and other government officials including PTF members ought to have shown respect to the memory of Mallam Kyari by conducting themselves in a manner that should have served as a guide to other Nigerians in the fight against COVID-19.
“This, therefore, is not an act that an apology by the SGF will serve as enough, as it does not drive home the issue at stake to the public as well as to government officials.
“Consequently, the PDP charges the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities, in line with its actions against ordinary Nigerians who had flouted the rules, to immediately prosecute all government functionaries involved in this violation”.
Further, the PDP said Nigerians had all watched how the FCT prosecuted residents at various mobile courts across the territory.
It also added that Justice would therefore only be done and of course, seen to have been done, if the FCT toes the same line in this instance.
The party, however, recalled that Nigeria as a nation is governed by the constitution in which all Nigerians are deemed equal before the law saying, “Our officials must learn to respect rules made and enforced by them, particularly at this trying time”.
The PDP, however, urged Nigerians not to allow this development to make them lose faith in the overall mutli-sectoral effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the PDP also charged all citizens to redouble their efforts in adhering to the restriction order as well as health safety directives of social distancing and personal hygiene, adding that with the concerted effort of all, the nation will defeat the scourge.
