A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction in Adamawa State has petitioned the Inspector General of Police over alleged intimidation of its members by the police.
The complaint letter signed by the factional leader, Dr Umar Ardo, accused the police commissioner, Audu Madaki, of working for the state government to harass its members.
The crisis rocking the PDP chapter worsened with the formation of the Ardo faction known as reformed PDP (rPDP) following disagreement over legality of the state government backed executive under the leadership of Barrister Tahir Shehu.
“Yesterday the police commissioner dispatched a team of mobile police that went to my hometown, Kojoli, and closed the factional office, removed the hoisted flags, arrested the factional chairman, Mr. Phillip Buji, and brought and locked him up in Yola”, the letter stated.
“When today we sent a lawyer, Barr. (Cpt.) Husseini Guyuk, to bail Mr. Buji, the lawyer was himself promptly detained. My PA, Abdulsalam Adamu, who took food to them is as well detained by the police.”
“What is their offense, the police claims that a petition was written against us (which we are not served) by the government factional chairman, one AT Shehu, accusing us of creating a faction”, it stated.
Ardo alleged that the police commissioner refused to arrest thugs who had attacked the faction during a meeting even after the police was supplied with details and identities of the attackers.
Buttressing his point, the former gubernatorial aspirant recalled that the police had illegally sealed a venue paid for by the faction for its formal inauguration when section 69(1)(g) among other sections had recognised the right to faction in political parties in addition to a litany of Supreme Court judgements.
“If CP Madaki wants to support the government faction of the PDP in Adamawa state, let him remove the police uniform he is wearing and come to the field. He’ll be most welcomed. But he cannot be wearing police uniform and playing party politics in the name of the law. Under the present tense situation in the country, and in the state”, the letter read.
Calling for the intervention of the Inspector General, Dr Ardo demanded release of the arrested persons and an apology or have them charged to court.
The spokesman of the police in Adamawa State, DSP Sulaiman Nguroje, said the command could not comment on a petition sent to the Inspector General of Police.
“We saw the petition online but…it is for the Inspector General, so the command cannot comment unless there is a directive to do so,” Nguroje said.
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