Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rein in state governors who, he said, are engaging in actions that undermine citizens’ constitutional rights.
In a statement issued while recovering from spinal surgery, Metuh expressed concern over reports that the Governor of Edo State had allegedly barred a Nigerian citizen from entering the state. He described the governor, a former senator, as “otherwise decent and distinguished” but warned that such conduct was undemocratic and unconstitutional.
“This is not the first time we are seeing such undemocratic conduct,” he noted, citing a similar incident involving a governor from the North Central zone.
Metuh said that while some governors may be seeking to demonstrate loyalty to the President, their actions run contrary to democratic principles and violate the rights to freedom of movement and expression, regardless of political affiliation.
Recalling President Tinubu’s track record in defending democracy, particularly during military rule and as governor of Lagos State, Metuh urged him to uphold those values at the national level. He warned that the actions of some governors, if left unchecked, could erode Tinubu’s democratic legacy.
He also criticised the silence of political leaders who, he claimed, had refused to speak out due to “political correctness, fear of reprisals, or selfish pursuit of appointments and material gains.”
“These leaders must understand that the protection of our democracy, especially the preservation of liberty and life for every Nigerian, must supersede personal ambition,” he stated.
Metuh stressed that no citizen should be treated as a second-class Nigerian or have their rights curtailed by any state authority.
He concluded by calling on President Tinubu, as “father of the nation and chief custodian of constitutional democracy,” to take firm action to end what he described as a disturbing trend.
“Let Nigeria truly belong to all its citizens, and may all persons be accorded their freedom and liberties across the land,” he declared.
