The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has declared that no member of the ruling party is immune from prosecution, insisting that those facing criminal charges must retain their fundamental human rights until convicted by a competent court.
Yilwatda made the position known during an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, stressing that the party would not strip its members of their rights simply because they were standing trial.
According to the APC chairman, several party members are already facing prosecution and regularly appearing in court, but their legal status does not automatically make them guilty.
“Nobody is protected. I don’t want to mention names, but I know members of our party who are undergoing prosecution and appear in court every day,” he said.
Yilwatda maintained that the presumption of innocence remained a fundamental principle of the law, adding that the APC would not use ongoing prosecutions as grounds to deny accused members their constitutionally guaranteed rights.
“As long as you have not been convicted, we assume you’re innocent because that’s what the law says,” he stated.
He added that the party could not rely on the fact that a member was facing prosecution to justify denying such a person their fundamental human rights.
“So, as APC members, we can’t use strict prosecutions to go ahead and deny people their fundamental human rights,” Yilwatda said.
His remarks underscore the distinction between facing criminal charges and being found guilty by a court, with the APC chairman maintaining that party membership does not confer immunity from prosecution or automatically extinguish the rights of an accused person.
