By Rotimi Ojomoyela
Ado-Ekiti
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Mohammadu Buhari of harbouring an alleged fugitive in the Presidential Villa, describing the development as worrisome and embarrassing.
The PDP, therefore, wondered why President Buhari agreed to meet with Ekiti state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Jide Awe, an alleged murder fugitive at the Villa.
PDP said Jide Awe, who was declared wanted by the Police over murder charges in the state, had been in the hiding for some time now, only for him to be spotted at the Presidential Villa last Friday.
Jide Awe, who is facing trial over his alleged involvement in the murder of Ayo Murphy Jeje and Mrs Juliana Adewummi in Erinjiyan-Ekiti in Ekiti state in 2013, had disappeared into thin air but was sighted in Aso Villa with President Buhari in a photo-op on Friday.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti yesterday by the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Jackson Adebayo, the party said that it will amount to a direct show of support for murder for President Buhari to have allowed Jide Awe into the Presidential Villa.
The statement read: “We heard that President Buhari said he is going reopen cases of political murder. Yet, the same president allowed into Aso Villa, Jide Awe, who has refused to make himself available for trial for alleged murder even after a Federal High Court in Jos vacated an interlocutory injunction preventing Jide Awe from being arrested and tried for murder.
“We frown at this open display of insensitivity to the agony of the families of those who were allegedly murdered by Jide Awe and others, and we want to believe that President Buhari was not well briefed on his (Awe) evasion of trial.
“Perhaps, President Buhari was unaware and his security details who should also know did not inform him that Jide Awe and four other members of the APC, namely Faboro John, Aniramu Basiru, Falayi Busuyi and Owonifari Sefiu were declared wanted by the police for their alleged involvement in the murder of two persons in Erinjiyan-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on March 31, 2013.
