Fani-Kayode: APC absolves self of allegation

The ongoing war of words between former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode and his erstwhile party, the All Progressives Congress, APC is continuing as the party has insisted Fani Kayode lied by alleging that the party kicked against the proscription of the Boko Haram group by the Federal Government.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party insisted that Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode not only lied but distorted facts to reach a prepossessed conclusion on the party’s comments concerning the proscription of Boko Haram by the Federal Government.
The party said that it was not going to engage Fani-Kayode in brickbats but would simply set the record straight for the sake of posterity.
”On June 9th, 2013, the ACN issued a statement in which it said in the opening paragraph ‘The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN has said that the recent proscription order against Boko Haram and Ansaru, desirable as it may be in tackling the terrorist organisations, violates the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by stifling the press and tampering with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.
”Any person, especially one who supposedly had the benefit of a sound education, who interprets this statement as a condemnation of the proscription itself is either acting out of deliberate mischief or has failed to take advantage of his good education, perhaps in a desperation to escape justice at all cost.
”What the statement means is that in as much as the FG may have done a desirable thing in proscribing the terrorist groups, a section of the proscription Order violates the constitution by stifling the press and tampering with the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.
”We then went ahead to quote that offensive section of the Proscription Order as Section 5 (1), which prescribes a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years ‘for any person who knowingly, in any manner, directly or indirectly, solicits or renders support for the commission of an act of terrorism or to a terrorist group.
”We said ‘support, as defined by the Order, includes ‘incitement to commit a terrorist act through the Internet, or any electronic means OR THROUGH THE USE OF PRINTED MATERIALS OR THROUGH THE DISSEMINATION OF TERRORIST INFORMATION (emphasis ours). We said this section is in conflict with Chapter II Section 22 of the Nigeria constitution which says ‘The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media, shall AT ALL TIMES BE FREE (emphasis ours) to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.
”We said by stifling the press, the Order is abridging a part of the fundamental human rights guaranteed every citizen under Chapter Four of the Nigerian Constitution in Section 39 (1), which states thus: Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information WITHOUT INTERFERENCE (emphasis ours), and warned that this section could be used against journalists and the opposition,” APC said.
APC said it is therefore baffling, to say the least, that anyone would still take this statement to mean that APC is against the proscription of Boko Haram.