The Peoples Democratic Party has accused the Federal Government of planning to arrest 50 of its members.
It said the planned arrest was part of “a new strategy to weaken the opposition party” ahead of 2019 elections.
Spokesperson for the party, Dayo Adeyeye, made the allegation in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
He added that the current wave of arrest of members of the PDP had nothing to do with the anti-corruption war, which he described as a “failed” war.
Immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada; a former Acting Governor of Taraba State, Sani Danladi; a former Governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam; Sen. Grace Bent; and Adamu Wakil, were recently arrested by the EFCC.
Adeyeye said the APC-led Federal Government was doing this with the hope of winning the 2019 general elections, noting that “the strategy will fail.”
Adeyeye said, “The only way to prevent its inevitable defeat at the polls in 2019 is to hound, harass, intimidate and suppress members of our party into submission.
“We wish to draw attention of Nigerians to the continued harassment of our party members by the All Progressives Congress government of President Muhammadu Buhari, for no justifiable reason.
“The latest needless onslaught against our party members is the plan by the APC government at the centre to incarcerate 50 members of our party before the end of this year, with a view to using their arrest to deceive Nigerians that the failed anti-corruption war is still on course.
“The dirty job, we are aware, have been handed over to the compromised anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
“Already, five members of our party have been illegally arrested and detained by EFCC without any charge preferred against them.
“Who the rest 45 members to be picked up are, we cannot say in the immediate. However, we are by no means scared of the persecution by the Buhari administration, as we are sure that the daylight is about to break after the dark night of the APC administration.
“We wish to state clearly that what is ongoing under the Buhari administration is not a fight against corruption but an attempt at using members of the PDP as scapegoats and cover up for the ineffectual anti-corruption agenda of the current government.
“The current wave of arrests therefore has nothing to do with the failed anti corruption war but everything with 2019 elections.”
Adeyeye further alleged that the Federal Government was planning the crackdown on the members of the PDP because it felt that, that was the only way to oppress members of the opposition.
