Presidential candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi has called for the release of a man Nnamdi Chude who was arrested after accusing the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) of electoral malpractices.
Mr Chude tweeted on Saturday, alleging that Soludo’s political party APGA rigged the election on March 18 to fill the House of Assembly.
Soludo has since confirmed the police arrested Chude in Anambra and moved him to Abuja. He, however, denied having any information about the basis of his arrest.
Reacting to the development, Obi tweeted on Tuesday that Chude’s arrest is a further confirmation of Nigeria’s poor performance in the rule of law.
He said, “After due enquiries, I regret to say that the arrest of Mr Nnamdi @chude__ is a further confirmation of Nigeria’s poor and declining performance in the Rule of Law, Voice and Accountability, and other governance indicators.
“With Voice, and Accountability, the No 1 key indicator of good governance, it is very important, particularly for those in authority to note and accept that freedom of expression is a fundamental right and ingredient for the development of a good society.
“While I appreciate that the freedoms must be exercised in line with the rule of law, arresting Nigerians for tweeting on their leaders and those in authority decimates the opportunity for inclusive governance and accountability which are highly needed in a developing country like Nigeria.”
Obi said leaders must understand that citizens have different thoughts about them and leaders have the right of reply.
“I therefore appeal to all concerned to please treat the issue most objectively on rule of law, and compassionately release the young man in question,” he added.
