President Muhammadu Buhari. |
The Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to discharge the burden of being complicit in plans by
officials of the federal Government and the all Progressives Congress (APC) to
instigate the “arrest of certain individuals, ahead of the September 19
governorship election,” in Edo State.
The party made the
call at a press conference addressed on Tuesday, August 17, 2020 by its
National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan entitled: “Leaked Video:
PDP Campaign Calls Out Presidency Over Oshiomhole’s Arrest Comment…Charges
Buhari to Question Gambari.”
Text of the press
conference reads:
The Peoples
Democratic Party National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election has
called out the Buhari Presidency over the trending video showing the sacked
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole and
the Chief of Staff to Mr. President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, at the Presidential
Villa, in which discussion on the arrests of certain individuals, ahead of the
September 19 governorship election, was held.
Nigerians were
alarmed by the video in which Oshiomhole was seen emphatically urging the Chief
of Staff to Mr. President on the need to clampdown on certain unnamed Nigerians
to achieve political suppression and submission ahead of the Edo election.
Our National
Campaign holds that the presence and involvement of the Chief of Staff to the
President and the fact that the discussion held within the precincts of the
Presidential Villa, have made the Presidency complicit and place a huge burden
on President Muhammadu Buhari.
Already, there is
anxiety in the public space that the discussion between Oshiomhole and Prof.
Gambari as captured in the video is an extension of discussions that must have
held behind closed doors in the Presidential villa.
The video has
validated earlier revelations of plots by Oshiomhole and the discredited APC
governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to use compromised security operatives
being mobilized by certain individuals in the Presidency, to arrest innocent
Nigerians, including traditional, faith-based and community leaders on trumped
up charges, ahead of the Edo election.
It also confirms our
stance that Adams Oshiomhole and the APC candidate have completely lost ground
in Edo state, hence the plot to clamp down on the people.
Nigerians and the
people of Edo state now know those to hold responsible should there be cases of
illegal arrests, assassinations and unexplained killings, sudden disappearances
of prominent people, accidental discharge by federal security operatives and
mysterious accidents in the course of this Edo governorship election.
The PDP National
Campaign Council on Edo governorship election charges President Buhari to
reassure Nigerians by immediately ordering that Adams Oshiomhole and Prof.
Gambari be pulled in for questioning over the video.
Anything short of a
decisive action on this matter will further indict the Buhari Presidency
especially coming on the heels of public anxiety over Mr. President’s widely
condemned comment on the use of security forces for elections.
Our campaign however
wants the APC and Oshiomhole to know that their ignoble plots against the
people of Edo state have come to naught as the people are at alert and will use
every legitimate means available to defend their already expressed will in
support of the candidate of our party, the PDP, Governor Obaseki in this
election.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
Secretary,
National Campaign Council on Edo Governorship Election.
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