Being the Text of Press Conference By The National Working Committee of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Thursday, June 21, 2018.
Gentlemen of the Press,
You will recall that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier
alerted the nation and the international community that the enemies of
our democratic process and adversaries of our unity and harmonious
living as a nation have commenced a desperate clampdown on opposition
leaders and perceived opponents of the President Muhammadu Buhari
administration.
Today, our dear nation, Nigeria, has finally fallen into a perilous
time! There are fears and trepidation everywhere. The safety, personal
freedom and wellbeing of Nigerians, particularly, opposition members are
no longer guaranteed.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), having realized that they stand no
chance in the 2019 general elections, are now deploying all wicked
machinations to cause confusion, heighten political tension, hounding
and arresting of opposition leaders, making spurious allegations and
attacking influential Nigerians, including former heads of state, all to
instill fear on the polity.
Having failed in their corruption smear campaign against the PDP and
many notable Nigerians, the APC and the Presidency cabal have now
devised a devious machination to rope in, frame up, implicate and
ultimately incarcerate marked opposition leaders and other dissenting
voices over fabricated security charges.
Part of this design, as already exposed by the Special Adviser to
President Buhari, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Arise TV, is to link such
opposition leaders and dissenting voices with the widespread killings in
various parts of the country, while forgetting that President Buhari had
earlier blamed the attacks on invaders from Late Muammar Gaddafi’s
Libya, while his Director General of State Security Services (DG.SSS)
blamed it on herdsmen from neighbouring countries.
Gentlemen of the Press, the wicked clampdown has started. Only
yesterday, we were made aware of the arrest and detention of former
Benue State governor, Hon. Gabriel Suswam, who has been kept
incommunicado without access to his lawyers, while the Federal
Government is not forthcoming with the details of the reasons behind the
arrest and detention.
However, we know that his arrest and detention is intended to put him
out of circulation, so that he will not take part in the mega meetings
of our party planned for the North Central states.
There are already fears that other opposition leaders and dissenting
voices have been placed under watch and will be dragged in and framed up
on security charges, so as to keep them out of circulation ahead of the
elections.
Nigerians are already aware of the alarm raised by former President
Olusegun Obasanjo of alleged plots by the Buhari administration to
frame, arrest and detain him indefinitely on trumped up charges,
ostensibly following his criticisms and open rejection of the
administration for its failures and manifest misrule.
The world is also aware of the numerous alleged plots by the APC and its
Federal Government to frame up and humiliate Senate President Bukola
Saraki, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu, Senators Dino
Melaye and Shehu Sani, as well as Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and
his Ekiti state counterpart, Governor Ayo Fayose.
Also, there are concerns about the safety of former Chief of Army Staff
and former defence minister, Gen. Theophilus Y. Danjuma (rtd), following
the fear expressed by Rivers State Governor Wike that Gen. Danjuma’s
life might be in danger after his comments in March, this year, on
possible complicity of the State in the killings in Taraba state.
Only yesterday, an explosive device was discovered at the Ebonyi state
PDP secretariat, either planted to blow up our secretariat and kill our
members or to set up our leaders.
These attacks, threats and intimidation targeted at influential
Nigerians, particularly, past leaders, show clearly that the APC and the
Buhari Presidency are very scared of their inevitable defeat in the 2019
general elections and now seek to apply all machinations to overheat the
polity and ostensibly frustrate the process.
The PDP wants the APC and the Buhari Presidency to know that despite
their machinations, the 2019 general elections must hold as scheduled,
as Nigerians will never be cowed into allowing them to stay a day beyond
May 29, 2019, no matter the intimidation, threats and harassment.
The PDP therefore, charges all Nigerians to stand firm, remain united in
condemning and resisting the intimidations and all anti-democratic
tendencies of the APC administration.
Finally, we want to assure that the PDP, as the party committed to
democracy and the wellbeing of Nigerians, will urgently hold an enlarged
National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to take far-reaching decision
on the next line of action, within the ambit and the provisions of the
law, regarding the harassments and intimidations of citizens under the
Buhari administration.
We hereby emphasize that this country belongs to all of us and no
individual or group of individuals, no matter how highly placed, has the
right to undermine our democratic process or hijack the apparatus of
state power against any Nigerian, for any reason whatsoever.