By Kassim Omomia
Members of the House of Representatives, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus have called on the Federal Government to respect June 12 as the symbol of democratic freedom and supremacy of the People’s power.

As a pointer to their position, the lawmakers have also issued a four-point demand , which in their view is to move Nigeria from the abyss of total destruction under the Buhari led administration.

Declaring June 12 a symbol of democratic freedom and supremacy of the People’s power , the group warned that the peoples should be respected by the government by ensuring that all the tenets of democracy are adhered to in all ramifications.

A statement signed by the caucus leader, Rep Kingsley Chinda, enumerated the four-point demand to help Nigeria embrace peace, which includes: improving the country’s democratic practice by respecting the rule of law and press freedom, as well as immediately reverse the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria and set aside the draconian regulation of the media in our country.

They task the Buhari- Government to place greater value on Nigerian lives and take decisive and pragmatic steps to end the avoidable carnages and deaths in our land by adopting mind-set change programs.

Other demands are ,restraining the Police and other security forces from further unleashing violence on unarmed youths and other peaceful protesters who choose to go out and exercise their rights in commemoration of this Democracy Day and on any other day they so desire, having led peaceful protest in the past.

Human stump discovered under bridge

According to the PDP caucus, June 12 presents Nigerians another opportunity for introspection and to look back on the democratic journey of the nation: the road taken and not taken, the sacrifices of citizens that make the day as historical as the memories that map both the journey and introspection.

” If the sacrifices of our people make the celebration of our nascent democracy worthwhile, it is because our people have come to cherish the blood, tears and toil of those whose sacrifices make the enjoyment of their rights and freedoms essential to democracy” they said, adding that June 12 is not only about introspection, but also about renewing the commitments of all to the growth of democracy in Nigeria

They contend that Democracy and its celebration is about ensuring that the country is never again enveloped by darkness, hemmed to the abyss by the sinister forces that threaten her collective rights and freedoms.

Reiterating the challenges before the country, the group admitted that never in Nigeria’s history has freedom become so threatened and endangered than now.

They explained that down the length and breadth of our country, people are not only being arrested and detained, they are denied the right to life guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

“Homes have become mourning parlous. While parents are burying their children in a land that once held out the promises of life, sadness becomes the reality of life; our nation has suddenly been turned into a waste land of less hope and disillusionment.” Chinda listed in the statement

” We have to walk the streets of our country to hear the tales of woes, lamentations, and dirges coming out of every home. A people that once regaled the world with their mirth, to the extent that the world recognized them as the happiest people on the face of the earth, have become shadows of themselves.”

They warned about the growing killings in the country, raiding alarm over its overwhelming numbers

“Those who were killed are not mere statistics; they had blood and water flowing in them, and they were our brothers and sisters, members of our bloodlines, whose death diminishes our humanity”

They insist that June 12 represents hope but with their failed tripodal promises of security, economy and curbing corruption, the reality today is that the APC has irredeemably failed the people of Nigeria.