DON'T DERAIL DEMOCRACY - CAN cautions Police, Presidency

YOUR ACTIONS CONSTITUTE THREAT TO DEMOCRACY – CAN tells Police
The leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned the Presidency, the National Assembly and the Police against pulling down the democratic institutions built at a great price which includes but not limited to the loss of lives and imprisonment of many patriots before the military relinquished power.
In a swift reaction to the Police’s invitation to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki over the infamous Offa robbery operation which led to the death of some 30 people and the attendant problems, the Christian umbrella body condemns in strong terms the way and manner the Police has been going in the pretext of investigation which is subjecting the leadership of the National Assembly to needless embarrassment and harassment.
We notes with every sense of responsibility that the only difference between democracy and dictatorship is the presence or absence of the National Assembly. As a stakeholder, CAN has no choice but to speak out against the unfolding political scenario that does not portray us well in the committee of nations.
CAN cautions the Police and other government security agencies against becoming a big threat to democracy which they supposed to protect. We need to remind the Police and other government security agencies authorities that once a suspect has been invited to any of their offices, international and best practices demand patience until the invitee failed to honour the invitation. And we are shocked, disappointed and alarmed with the aborted move of the Police to stop both the Senate President and his deputy from attending the Senate’s proceeding for whatever reasons.
CAN urges the Police to remain apolitical, fair and unjust in the ongoing political events in the country which if care is not taken could snuff life out of our democracy that is still nursing its teething problems.
We caution both the leadership of the National Assembly and the Presidency to stop acting in the way and manner that constitutes disgrace of international proportion. It is needless to remind them that disagreement between the Executive and the Legislature is not strange even in the advanced democracies.
CAN calls on the Civil Society especially the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and a host of others to wake up from their slumber and rescue our Democracy from forces that are hell bent in derailing it.
It should be noted that association with a body or any organization should be voluntary and not by any form of compulsion. Nobody should be compelled by any form of intimidation to join any political, religious or social organization in any guise.
We appeals to all security agencies to stop being involved in partisan politics. Leadership goes and leadership comes but Nigeria remains. We charge all service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police and other apparatus not to destroy the institutions that brought up with partisan politics. A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE.
Thank You
Signed
Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant (Media & Communications) to the CAN President, his eminence, Rev Dr Samson Olasupo Ayokunle.