The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the continuous arrest and detention of its members ahead of the forthcoming general election was provocative and a direct invitation to anarchy and political crisis in the country.
The party said former governors of Kaduna State; Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, Ramalan Yero and Kaduna State PDP Chairman, Chief Felix Hyat as well as the former PDP state Chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Yaro Makama have been listed for arrest before the elections.
The party demanded for the unconditional release of the Director of Media Committee of the Kaduna State PDP Governorship Campaign Organization, Mr. Ben Bako, who has been detained by the Department of State Service (DSS) since last weekend.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Abuja, the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisagion, Kola Ologbondiyan said that Mr. Bako’s arrest is prelude to the “planned clampdown” of PDP campaign officials by the Buhari Presidency and the APC.
Ologbondiyan explained that the aim is to instil fear in the polity, incite crisis and derail the electoral process, having realized that they were allegedly going to lose the election to the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
“It is instructive to state that the DSS has given no reason for Mr. Ben Bako’s arrest and detention, but only acted on the orders of the APC as expressed by the Assistant Publicity Secretary of Kaduna APC, Salisu Tanko Wusono, who openly stated that Mr. Bako deserves his ordeal.
“However, the PDP unequivocally cautions the Buhari Presidency and the APC to note that their plot, as well as the continued detention of Ben Bako, is setting the stage for a vehement resistance by the people, which is capable of triggering crisis and disrupting the fragile peace in Kaduna state,” the party said.
“We therefore call on the National Peace Committee to note, as well as speak out against the provocations by the APC and the Buhari Presidency against our party, which are in total negation of the spirit and letters of the peace accord,” he said.
