The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the Deputy Director General (Administration) of the party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.
The party also demanded his unconditional release.
Turaki is a former Minister of Special Duties and one of the presidential aspirants on the platform of the PDP who lost his bid to Atiku at the PDP convention held in Port Harcourt in the build up to the February 23 presidential election.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement on Monday night said Turaki was invited, arrested and detained today by the EFCC “for no just cause.”
The party said the ex-minister’s arrest and detention was part of the alleged grand plot by the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to use state apparatus of power to intimidate PDP leaders and scuttle the party’s determination to reclaim its “stolen mandate” in court.
“Since the people’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP expressed our unwavering determination to reclaim our victory at the tribunal, being armed with overwhelming evidence, our leaders have been subjected to escalated harassments, constant threats, blackmails, cajoling and contrivances by the APC to drop our legal option.
“It is instructive to state that Tanimu Turaki was arrested and detained upon invitation by the EFCC to endorse a bail document for the Finance Director of Atiku Abubakar’s company, Babalele Abdullahi, who was arrested earlier by the commission over flimsy allegations.
“The PDP, however, states in clear terms that the APC and the Buhari Presidency are fighting a lost battle as no amount of harassment and threats will ever make the party to buckle in its determination to take back the mandate, in line with the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians.
“Nigerians are resolute on this struggle to reclaim the mandate freely given to Atiku Abubakar at the polls and the PDP will pursue this decision to its logical end and secure justice for the Nigerian people,” the party said.
