The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to stop harassing its members, saying their unlawful arrest and detention was an invitation to anarchy.
The party described the recent arrest of its spokesman in Kaduna State as highly provocative and one capable of derailing the nation’s democratic order.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this Monday while addressing a press conference at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja.
According to him, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is bent on instilling fear in the electorate in a bid to scuttle the 2019 general elections.
He said: “Our party is concerned over the unwarranted arrest of Mr. Ben Bako, the Director of Media Committee of the Kaduna state PDP Governorship Campaign Organization, who has been detained by the Department of State Services, DSS since last weekend.
“We are aware that Mr. Ben Bako’s arrest is prelude to the planned clampdown of our campaign officials by the Presidency and the APC, whose aim is to instill fear in the polity, incite crisis and derail the electoral process, having realized that they have lost in this election ahead of the polls.
“It is instructive to state that the DSS has given no reason for Mr. Ben Bako’s arrest and detention, but only acted on the orders of the APC as expressed by Salisu Tanko Wusono, the Assistant Publicity Secretary of Kaduna APC, who openly stated that Mr. Bako deserves his ordeal,” he said even as he added that some party chieftains in Kaduna have been penciled down for possible arrest by government.
“Further reports reaching us at the PDP from our Kaduna State chapter indicate that many of our leaders including former governors of Kaduna state, Senator Ahmed Markarfi and Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero; PDP Kaduna state chapter chairman, Chief Felix Hyat and the former PDP state chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Yaro Makama among others, have been listed for clamp down and are now being trailed by agents of the APC.
“We have also been informed of plots by the APC and the Buhari Presidency to track down and detain PDP critical stakeholders in other parts of the country, so as to put them out of circulation before and during the general elections.”
The party also warned of dire consequences in the event that Bako was not released unconditionally.
“The PDP, therefore, demands the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Ben Bako by the DSS without hurt or further harassment.
“The PDP also stresses that it will hold the APC and the Presidency directly responsible should any harm, whatsoever, befall any of our leaders or members, particularly in Kaduna state ahead of the elections.
“Kaduna state is a PDP stronghold and our party is not ready to stomach any further harassment of our leaders, officials and members; before, during and after the general elections,” it added
It called on the National Peace Committee to prevail on APC chieftains to play by the rules and ensure that the polls were violent- free.
