Stop harassing, detaining our members, PDP tells FG

 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled federal government to stop harassing and detaining it members on flimsy excuses.
The party also drew the attention of the international community to the continuous harassment, arrests and detention of its members in various parts of the country by officials of the APC-led government at the centre.
The party urged the international community to caution the APC –controlled federal government to stop its anti-democratic policies against opposition parties and the Nigerian masses.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement yesterday, revealed that its members were being subjected to undue harassment and intimidation by agents of the APC federal government.
“Lives of our members and supporters are increasingly at risk as the government is becoming more intolerant of opposition, particularly, having realized that its chances of getting re-elected in 2019 has dimmed as the people have rejected it due to its abysmal performance in the nearly three years of misrule.
“We are alerting the entire world of the increasing aggression and cruelty against opposition members and perceived opponents of government by the APC-led Federal Government, which is now using the apparatus of state power in their desperation to cow and subjugate opposition, suppress constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and association in our country.
“Today, there is thoughtless abuse of human rights in our country and the people now live in fear. Opposition members are now being arrested, manhandled and detained, with some of them having their family houses demolished for holding and expressing opinion even under a democracy.
According to the party, “Currently, our members and supporters in many states including Edo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kogi, Borno, Adamawa and others are being hounded for expressing opinion, particularity on the exposed corruption, abuses, constitutional violations and incompetence of the APC administration.
“As we speak our Edo state Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih was summoned, questioned and his personal freedom curtailed by the police in Edo state for daring to speak against corruption in the state, an action which the unscrupulous officers at the command boasted will teach him and PDP members in the state, a lesson. We commend Chief Dan Orbih for his forthrightness even in the face of harassments and intimidation by the APC.
“In Kogi state, there are reports of APC agents attacking and destroying property belonging to opposition members and supporters. Nigerians have not forgotten how the APC government in Kaduna state demolished property belonging to opposition members and perceived political opponents; how the PDP secretariat in Borno was destroyed and how our property and those of our supporters were destroyed by agents of government in Adamawa state.
The party decried, “this raging intimidation of our party officials, members and supporters and call on all good-spirited Nigerians and the international community to stand up and condemn this drift towards stone-age despotism.
“Nigeria is a democratic state and we reject any attempt by anybody to suppress the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the people, particularly regarding the choice of how they can be governed”, the statement concluded.

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