MORE reactions have continued to trail the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu alleged threat as the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the National Offices of Caritas Nigeria and Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), a Catholic-based organisation,yesterday condemned the monarch’s action.
In a statement, the PDP national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, in Abuja yesterday stated that the alleged death threats on non-indigenes in Lagos by Oba Akiolu if they vote for the PDP candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, ascend to a height of unruliness that should not be accommodated.”

“It is indeed most unfortunate that a royal father of the status of the Oba of Lagos should attempt to drag the revered traditional institution into partisan politics to the level of threatening innocent Nigerians with the view to prevent them from freely exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right.
Our response to the Oba of Lagos is that he cannot play God and can never be God. God owns the universe and every part of it and can never share His glory with any human no matter how highly placed. We therefore call on all Nigerians in Lagos state; all Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and people of other tribes; all northerners and southerners; all Christians and Muslims to turn against this unpatriotic stance, by coming out enmasse to vote for Agbaje on Saturday.

Undoubtedly, this anti-Nigeria position reminds of the 2013 inhuman and callous arrest, detention and eventual ‘deportation’ of non-indigenes by the APC-led government of Lagos state and confirms fears that the APC is indeed on a mission to destroy our national unity, balkanize the nation and obliterate the personal freedom Nigerians enjoy today.”

Calling on the President-Elect, Muhammadu Buhari to call members of his APC to order, Metuh also alleged that “the APC has started terrorizing supporters of the PDP with vows to make life unbearable for them when it eventually assumes power. Our investigation reveals that many of our prominent supporters have been marked. The process has already started with threats to the life, family and business of the Chairman of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah for supporting PDP candidates and helping non-indigenes win some Lagos seats in the National Assembly on the platform of the our great party.” He added
“We therefore urge General Muhammadu Buhari as the leader of the APC to call his members and supporters, particularly in Lagos and Ekiti to order; especially bearing in mind that it was the peaceful atmosphere and the level playing ground nurtured by the PDP-led administration that created the room for his emergence at the presidential polls.

Our country cannot at this moment afford to slide into anarchy, reign of terror and deliberate schemes to divide the people for selfish political reasons, “‎ the statement added.
Executive Secretary, Caritas Nigeria and JDPC, Rev. Fr. Evaristus Bassey, in a statement yesterday said: “We humbly call on the Oba himself to withdraw his curse and rather appeal to the people, for indeed such a threat may amount to playing God and God who is a merciful Father will not allow His children to die so senselessly just because they were fulfilling the dictates of their conscience.”

The Catholic group further said: “The fact that APC is government at the centre is a strong factor to employ and appeal to people to vote APC rather than invoking ancestral powers for destruction. Why is it that in Africa we usually invoke our powers for destruction and not for building-up?

“While it is understandable that a royal father would want his wishes to be carried out, we are deeply concerned that the monarch is missing the point that Nigeria is a republic and a democracy and not a monarchy.

“We understand the genuine fear of the great Oba of losing Lagos to strangers. But Lagos has been one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Africa for decades and any citizen can be a bona fide resident of Lagos contributing to its economy and politics, as such the upstages as happened in the last elections are to be expected.

Nevertheless natives and non-native residents should feel free to negotiate and clarify expectations but not in the threatening and intimidating manner the revered Oba has lashed out.

“Why single out a particular ethnic group for this curse? Does it mean a Yoruba or Hausa person living in Lagos who votes for Jimi Agbaje will go scot-free but any Igbo who votes for Agbaje will drown in the Lagoon?

“Does it mean that people should vote out of fear and not their consciences? Would such an election be free and fair, where people have to vote out of intimidation? Does not the threat of the Oba Akiolu amount to voter intimidation?”