Nigeria’s opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately unfreeze the private account of its candidate in the September 22, 2018 Osun State governorship election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and those of his family members, including music star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido.
The party described the freezing of the accounts as “oppressive, tyrannical, provocative and a direct recipe for crisis in the state, given that the people of Osun are solidly behind Adeleke ahead of the election.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Saturday, alleged that freezing the Adelekes’ accounts a week to the governorship election underscored the All Progressives Congress’ fear of the PDP candidate.
Ologbondiyan said, “Such a savage attack on innocent citizens confirms the viciousness of the Buhari-led APC administration to use any means whatsoever to subjugate Nigerians and appropriate power to itself at all cost.
“Does it not smack of political brutality that President Buhari approved the secret release of N16.6bn to Osun APC to pay thugs to manhandle voters and rig the election, while his EFCC was directed to freeze the legitimate account of our candidate and his family, not minding the collateral damage such would have on millions that had benefited from the goodwill of the family?
“What President Buhari and his APC do not understand is that theirs is a den of thieves and that the leaders of the APC are frittering the N16bn away.”
According to him, the people of Osun State are behind Adeleke and will freely vote for him irrespective of the machinations of the Buhari-led APC.
Meanwhile, the party has said the APC should be held responsible should any harm befall former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku or any of its presidential aspirants ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Atiku had claimed in a petition to Buhari on Thursday that he had received text messages warning him to drop his presidential ambition.
He alleged that his wife and daughters were also warned, adding that the author of the text message threatened to either kill or rape them.
Ologbondiyan explained that its position was based on a comprehensive consideration of all issues relating to the threats to the life of the former vice president and other presidential aspirants.
The PDP spokesman added that the party was also placing the threats “at the doorstep of the Buhari-led APC.”
He added, “The PDP does not take these threats as a ruse and we demand an open inquest into all the issues raised by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in his petition to President Buhari.”
Ologbondiyan said, rather than accepting the reality of its alleged failures ahead of the 2019 elections, the APC had allegedly scaled up its proclivities for violence against the opposition.
What kind of democracy is APC government practising? Opposition parties are subjected to all manner of frustration and blackmails!!! If PDP had practiced what APC is doing to opposition parties, I doubt if APC will be in power today. APC under Buhari should put EFCC in check being APC “FOOT SOLDIER” to harrass opposition parties PLEASE. Democracy is not done this way