The arrest of Coordinator of the Atiku Care Foundation (ACF) Thursday allegedly on the orders of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state has generated negative ripples among the diverse groups.
Ibrahim Bage, it was learnt, was arrested by the officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Gombe, who seized his personal belongings including phones, laptop and camera.
The hostility, according to political observers, is seen as an epic battle for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and the governor.
Bage was later whisked to Government House, Gombe, where he met with the governor who allegedly warned him to desist from sensitising members of the public on Atiku’s presidential ambition.
The governor, it was learnt, told him the activities of the ACF in the state are illegal since he (Dankwambo) also has a presidential ambition on the platform of PDP like Atiku.
According to Bage who spoke in a telephone chat with Independent, “The governor told me my activities as Chairman of ACF in Gombe state are illegal. He said we are disturbing the peace of the state and we are inciting people against him by marketing Atiku Abubakar through distribution of items to the less privileged.
“He asked me: ‘Are you not aware that I have presidential ambition in 2019?’ I told him I was aware sir but ‘I am not in any way constituting any hindrance to your aspirations’. I also told him ‘our organisation is not illegal’. It is a registered organisation, which is philanthropic in nature and I have a copy of the certificate.
“I also told him in all our dealings, we have always carried the security agencies along. We have never embarked on any programme without first informing security agencies and we have never for once de-marketed the governor before the people of Gombe.
“He warned me to be careful and later asked the DSS officials to allow me to go. As I speak, my laptop, camera and phones are still in the custody of the DSS,” he said
In a statement on Friday by Chief Sunny Onuesoke, ACF’s National Director, Media and Publicity, condemned the arrest of Bage on the orders of the governor, saying such action is inimical to the growth and sustenance of democracy in the country.
“We condemn this action in his entirety and called on Nigerians to come out and voice their displeasure over the dictatorial action of Gov. Dankwambo of Gombe State.
According to him, “We also call on the DSS and other security agencies in the Country not to allow themselves to be used by selfish politicians who go about terrorising innocent and law abiding citizens.
