Following the sack and arrest of Salihu Tanko Yakasai, the former media aide to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), has expressed displeasure.
Falana reportedly revealed this in a statement on Sunday titled, ‘Asking Buhari to Resign is Not An Offence’.
According to the statement, “It is on record that the APC and its leaders including General Buhari; National Leader, Bola Tinubu; Malam Nasir El-rufai and Alhaji Lai Mohammed repeatedly called for former President Goodluck Jonathan’s resignation between 2013 and 2014 yet they were never subjected to any form of intimidation for exercising their freedom of expression at the material time”.
The statement read further that, “Since the call for President Buhari’s resignation is likely to continue to be made by other concerned individuals and groups over the virtual collapse of the security architecture of the neo-colonial state it is pertinent to draw the attention of the State Security Service to the case of Arthur Nwankwo v the State 1985 6 NCLR 228 where the Court of Appeal charged the Nigerian people to engage in relentless criticism of democratically elected governments”.
Falana added that, “In particular, Olajide Olatawura JCA (as he then was of blessed memory) had this to say: The decision of the founding fathers of the present constitution which guarantees freedom of speech which must include freedom to criticise should be praised and any attempt to derogate from it except as provided by the constitution must be resisted”.
Falana has however demanded for the unconditional release of Yakasai from the Government’s illegal detention, as it had been reported that he was denied access to his family and a lawyer.
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