By SAMUEL OGIDAN, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration to Prosecute the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic, Boss Mustapha, over what transpired during the funeral of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja.

The party, which said that apology was not enough, added that all those who violated the health safety and social restriction directives, especially certain government officials during the funeral of Kyari should also be prosecuted.

PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that it understands that the apology came after widespread condemnation of the conduct of such government officials and other individuals at the funeral.

The party described as 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 the country.

“Our party holds that the SGF and other government officials including PTF members ought to have shown respect to the memory of Mallam 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.

“Consequently, the PDP charges the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities, in line with its actions against ordinary Nigerians who had flouted the rules, to immediately prosecute all government functionaries involved in this violation.

“Nigerians had all watched how the FCT prosecuted residents at various mobile courts across the territory. 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 party said.

The PDP 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.

The party 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 effort of all, the nation will defeat the scourge. (Daily Independent)

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