PDP seeks prosecution of SGF, others for violating safety rules at Kyari’s burial

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities to immediately prosecute Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha and other government officials who flouted safety rules at the burial of the late Abba Kyari in Abuja.
It noted that apology of Mustapha, who is also Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 pandemic for violating safety and social restriction directives by certain government officials during Kyari’s funeral was unacceptable.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, it noted that the apology came after widespread condemnation of government officials and other individuals’ conduct at the funeral, insisting that they should be sanctioned in line with its actions against ordinary Nigerians who had flouted the safety and social restriction orders.
The PDP insisted that it was unfortunate that those who make and enforce rules over ordinary Nigerians were found directly violating the same rules with impunity, thereby compromising the efforts to check the spread of the pandemic in our country.
“Our party holds that the SGF and other government officials including PTF members ought to have shown respect to the memory of Kyari by conducting themselves in a manner that should have served as a guide to other Nigerians in the fight against COVID-19.
“This, therefore, is not an act that an apology by the SGF will serve as enough, as it does not drive home the issue at stake to the public as well as to government officials,” the statement added.
The PDP further drew attention to the fact that the FCT had prosecuted residents at various mobile courts across the territory, stressing, “Justice would therefore only be done and of course, seen to have been done, if the FCT toes the same line in this instance.
“Nigeria as a nation is governed by the constitution in which all Nigerians are deemed equal before the law. Our officials must learn to respect rules made and enforced by them, particularly at this trying time.”
The PDP, however, urged Nigerians not to allow this development to make them lose faith in the over all mutli-sectoral effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also charged all citizens to redouble their efforts in adhering to the restriction order as well as health safety directives of social distancing and personal hygiene, adding that with the concerted efforts, the nation would defeat the scourge.