APC to report First Lady to ICC over inciting comments

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has finalized plans to report Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

A letter to that effect, written on behalf of the APC campaign organization and signed by its Director-General and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, will reportedly be delivered to the ICC today, March 9.

The opposition party is reporting Mrs Jonathan due to some inciting comments attributed to her.

The First Lady was caught on film urging her supporters to stone members of the APC.

“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,” the party said via a statement.

“Mrs. Jonathan does not occupy any formal office in the Nigerian government as the position of the First Lady is not recognized by the Nigerian constitution. But Mrs. Gbagbo’s case shows the ICC’s awareness of how someone beyond formal governmental and military hierarchies can be identified as responsible for serious international crimes,” the party added comparing Mrs. Jonathan to Simone Gbagbo, the wife of former President of Cote d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo, who was indicted by the ICC for plotting against her husband’s opponents.

“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 APC said.

“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 party added.

Mrs. Jonathan also described the APC's Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari as “brain-dead” during a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign rally in Lokoja, Kogi State.