THE Peoples Democratic Party’s National Campaign Council for the Edo State Governorship Election has accused the All Progressives Congress administration and the party’s former National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, of plotting the arrest of key opposition figures ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.
The party was reacting to a leaked amateur video, in which the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, and Oshiomhole were heard discussing an unclear issue, where the word “arrest” surfaced.
Oshiomhole, who was walking alongside Gambari, was heard saying, “Arrest…deal with… the whole thing will change.” Gambari also said what sounded like “we will go beyond.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, told newsmen in Abuja, “Nigerians were alarmed by the video in which Oshiomhole was seen emphatically urging the Chief of Staff to Mr President on the need to clampdown on certain unnamed Nigerians to achieve political suppression and submission ahead of the Edo election.
“Our national campaign holds that the presence and involvement of the Chief of Staff to the President and the fact that the discussion held within the precincts of the Presidential Villa has made the Presidency complicit and placed a huge burden on President Muhammadu Buhari.”
According to him, already, there is anxiety in the public space that the discussion between Oshiomhole and Prof. Gambari, as captured in the video, is an extension of discussions that must have held behind closed doors in the Presidential Villa.
“The video has validated earlier revelations of plots by Oshiomhole and the APC governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to use compromised security operatives being mobilised by certain individuals in the Presidency, to arrest innocent Nigerians, including traditional, faith-based and community leaders on trumped-up charges, ahead of the Edo election,” he stated.
According to the PDP, the people of Edo State now know who to blame should things go wrong in the governorship poll.
Ologbondiyan noted, “Nigerians and the people of Edo State now know those to hold responsible should there be cases of illegal arrests, assassinations and unexplained killings, sudden disappearances of prominent people, accidental discharge by federal security operatives and mysterious accidents in the course of this Edo governorship election.
“The PDP national campaign council on Edo governorship election charges President Buhari to reassure Nigerians by immediately ordering that Adams Oshiomhole and Prof. Gambari be pulled in for questioning over the video.
“Anything short of decisive action on this matter will further indict the Buhari Presidency, especially coming on the heels of public anxiety over Mr President’s widely condemned comment on the use of security forces for elections.
“Our campaign, however, wants the APC and Oshiomhole to know that their ignoble plots against the people of Edo State have come to nought as the people are at alert and will use every legitimate means available to defend they’re already expressed will in support of the candidate of our party, the PDP, Governor Obaseki in this election.”
