Human Rights : Socialist Alternative Calls for Immediate Release of SPN leaders , Journalists Over Fuel, Electricity Price Increments’ Protest, SPN INEC’s Deregistration

Human Rights : Socialist Alternative Calls for Immediate Release of SPN leaders , Journalists Over Fuel, Electricity Price Increments’ Protest , SPN INEC’s Deregistration .

” PRESS STATEMENT OF THE MSA:

MSA CALLS FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ARRESTED SPN LEADERS PROTESTING FUEL AND ELECTRICITY PRICE INCREMENTS AND INEC’S DEREGISTRATION OF THE PARTY

The Movement for a Socialist Alternative (MSA) strongly condemns the arrest of members and supporters of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), who were earlier today protesting the increase in the prices of electricity and petrol, and INEC’s deregistration of the SPN. Members of the MSA, including its spokesperson, Dagga Tolar (also a NEC member of the SPN), along with officers of the SPN like Hassan Soweto (National Youth Officer), Chinedu Bosah (National Secretary), Ayo Ademiluyi (Lagos State Legal Adviser), and Osunfunrewa Moshood (Lagos State Secretary), were violently bundled into police vans by men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

Journalists were not excluded from this unwholesome and inhuman treatment. They were physically forced to stop taping the violent display of the Police while some had their gadgets destroyed or seized. The NPF, this time around, engaged “area boys” (street urchins) to disperse protestors and even assist their men in bundling protestors into police vans.

The MSA condemns this development as further testimony to the anti-democratic and repressive traditions of the Buhari regime. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the arrested protestors. We condemn the application of crude force, intimidation, and arrest to forestall protests across the country. We find it ridiculous, and even vicious, that the regime forces hardship down the throat of working and poor people’s families then beat them up for complaining against such hardships that are increasing by the day.

The MSA wishes to reiterate its position in an inexorable opposition to the recent increases in the costs of electricity and petrol. We also express our full support to the SPN in opposition to INEC’s deregistration of the party on the basis of its wealth and size. Shrinking the electoral space the people have to vote out the corrupt and capitalist politicians of this country is just a piece in a larger puzzle to keep the working people of this country in bondage, to be exploited by the billionaire-owners of former publicly-owned corporations and their politician-patrons.

We express solidarity with every pro-people organizations that are confronting headlong the multiple attacks against the working people of this country. We also reiterate our demand for the leadership of the labour movement to mobilise the forces of the working people and declare a 72 hours general strike over the mounting and organized attacks against the poor and working people of this country. We, however, call on working people, civil society organisations, the labour movement, and young people to join in solidarity to demand the immediate release of the arrested protestors and call for an end to this culture of repressing peaceful and just protests in the country.

Signed,
Wole Olubanji
Acting Organising Secretary “.