The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration
of using security agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), to hound and harass its leaders in a
renewed move to cow and weaken opposition formation ahead of the
2023 general elections.
![image](/2021/07/Justice-Ejembi-Eko-1.jpg")
![image](/2021/08/lawp.jpg")
The main opposition party Saturday cited the renewed harassment
of former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former governors
Theodore Orji, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Serike Dickson on what it
observed as alleged trumped charges whereas APC members with
similar allegations have been left to wander off.
![image](/2021/07/escrow-service1.jpg")
In a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National
Publicity Secretary, the PDP, however, stated that no amount of
intimidation, harassment and use of anti-graft agencies to
clampdown on its leaders on trump up corruption charges, can cow or
make the the party to surrender or abdicate the mandate “already
given to it by Nigerians to lead in the effort to rescue our
nation, come 2023.”
The party added: “The APC knows that it has been rejected by
Nigerians having failed woefully and that there is no way it can
win elections under any condition.
“As such, it seeks to use the state apparatus of power to
decimate and muzzle opposition and dissenting voices and foist an
anti-democratic situation on Nigerians.
“Part of this heinous plot by the APC is to use the EFCC to
bully, harass and hound PDP leaders, who are rallying Nigerians for
the task ahead, with a view to coercing them to abdicate the
mandate of the people and join the APC.
“This explains why the EFCC and other security agencies have
been harassing PDP leaders such as former Senate President Bukola
Saraki, former PDP state governors, including the former governor
of Abia state, Senator Theodore Orji, former governor of Bayelsa
State, Seriake Dickson, his Kano State counterpart, Senator Rabiu
Kwankwaso and other key PDP leaders, on trump up charges, while
their counterparts in the APC with similar allegations as well as
others who had defected to the APC are moving around freely.
“Even corrupt officials of the APC administration, who are
looting our national treasury, are doing so freely, under Buhari’s
watch.
“Furthermore, our party has been made aware of plots by the APC
administration to use the EFCC to further harass outspoken PDP
chieftains in a bid to muzzle our party, force a one-party state
and deny Nigerians a voice to challenge the atrocities of the APC
and its administration.
“We alert Nigerians of how many of our leaders are being
harassed by emissaries of the APC in a bid to get them to
compromise their stand against the corrupt and inept APC
administration.
“If the APC had done well; if it had not devastated Nigerians
and brought so much pain to the people; if the APC had managed our
national resources well instead of engaging in unbridled treasury
looting, stealing over N15 trillion naira and turning our nation
into poverty capital of the world; if APC had not compromised our
national security and threw our nation open to bandits, insurgents
and terrorists, would it not be celebrating by now instead of this
plot to force the people to submission?
“In all, the APC should know that their evil enterprise cannot
bend our leaders or sway Nigerians to jettison their determination
to oust the APC from office at all levels across the country, come
2023.
“Nigerians already know that they are saddled with a “failed
President” and his ‘failed APC’ for the remaining of his second and
final term which will end in 2023.”
The PDP called on the EFCC Chairman to quickly insulate the
commission from APC’s “manipulative enterprise, which ruined the
former leadership of the commission, especially as this clampdown
cannot save the APC in 2023.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration
of using security agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), to hound and harass its leaders in a
renewed move to cow and weaken opposition formation ahead of the
2023 general elections.
The main opposition party Saturday cited the renewed harassment
of former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former governors
Theodore Orji, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Serike Dickson on what it
observed as alleged trumped charges whereas APC members with
similar allegations have been left to wander off.
In a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National
Publicity Secretary, the PDP, however, stated that no amount of
intimidation, harassment and use of anti-graft agencies to
clampdown on its leaders on trump up corruption charges, can cow or
make the the party to surrender or abdicate the mandate “already
given to it by Nigerians to lead in the effort to rescue our
nation, come 2023.”
The party added: “The APC knows that it has been rejected by
Nigerians having failed woefully and that there is no way it can
win elections under any condition.
“As such, it seeks to use the state apparatus of power to
decimate and muzzle opposition and dissenting voices and foist an
anti-democratic situation on Nigerians.
“Part of this heinous plot by the APC is to use the EFCC to
bully, harass and hound PDP leaders, who are rallying Nigerians for
the task ahead, with a view to coercing them to abdicate the
mandate of the people and join the APC.
“This explains why the EFCC and other security agencies have
been harassing PDP leaders such as former Senate President Bukola
Saraki, former PDP state governors, including the former governor
of Abia state, Senator Theodore Orji, former governor of Bayelsa
State, Seriake Dickson, his Kano State counterpart, Senator Rabiu
Kwankwaso and other key PDP leaders, on trump up charges, while
their counterparts in the APC with similar allegations as well as
others who had defected to the APC are moving around freely.
“Even corrupt officials of the APC administration, who are
looting our national treasury, are doing so freely, under Buhari’s
watch.
“Furthermore, our party has been made aware of plots by the APC
administration to use the EFCC to further harass outspoken PDP
chieftains in a bid to muzzle our party, force a one-party state
and deny Nigerians a voice to challenge the atrocities of the APC
and its administration.
“We alert Nigerians of how many of our leaders are being
harassed by emissaries of the APC in a bid to get them to
compromise their stand against the corrupt and inept APC
administration.
“If the APC had done well; if it had not devastated Nigerians
and brought so much pain to the people; if the APC had managed our
national resources well instead of engaging in unbridled treasury
looting, stealing over N15 trillion naira and turning our nation
into poverty capital of the world; if APC had not compromised our
national security and threw our nation open to bandits, insurgents
and terrorists, would it not be celebrating by now instead of this
plot to force the people to submission?
“In all, the APC should know that their evil enterprise cannot
bend our leaders or sway Nigerians to jettison their determination
to oust the APC from office at all levels across the country, come
2023.
“Nigerians already know that they are saddled with a “failed
President” and his ‘failed APC’ for the remaining of his second and
final term which will end in 2023.”
The PDP called on the EFCC Chairman to quickly insulate the
commission from APC’s “manipulative enterprise, which ruined the
former leadership of the commission, especially as this clampdown
cannot save the APC in 2023.