APC Reports First Lady Patience Jonathan to International Criminal Court

The All Progressive Congress’ (APC) presidential campaign organisation has reported First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan to the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to some purported inflammatory statements she made.

Punch reports that two weeks ago, the First Lady while campaigning for President Goodluck Jonathan in Calabar, told PDP supporters to stone anyone campaigning for change in the state.

As a result, APC campaign organisation wrote a letter of complaint to the ICC, signed by its Director-General, Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

According to reports, the letter will be delivered to the ICC on Monday.

Here are excerpts from the letter:

Change, as the entire country knows by now, is the slogan of the APC – the rallying cry of a political party that wishes to bring hope of greater and better things to come for Nigeria and Nigerians. By her statement, Mrs. Jonathan was clearly calling on the PDP supporters in Calabar to attack supporters and campaigners of the APC in the state…

Patience Jonathan’s incontrovertible hate speech not only contravened the laws of the land, but also went completely against the Abuja peace accord jointly signed by the two presidential candidates, Muhammadu Buhari and President Goodluck Jonathan – a gesture which is aimed at forestalling violence before, during and after the 2015 elections.

The PDP supporters in the state, who may not know better, could easily yield themselves to the First Lady’s admonition and embark on a process of wanton stoning and other attacks against the APC members.

The campaign organisation further likened the First Lady’s remarks to those of Simone, the wife of a former President of Cote d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo, prior to the country’s 2010 elections.

According to the report “ICC indicted Mrs. Gbagbo for her part in planning to perpetrate brutal attacks, including murder, rape, and sexual violence, on her husband’s political opponents in the wake of the 2010 elections.”

Photo Credit: Onobello.com