By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the police to release its Kwara South Senatorial candidate, Rufai Ibrahim, and other members of the party allegedly detained on trump up charges.
The party describes as “provocative” the continued detention of Ibrahim on the eve of a crucial election in which he is a lead contender.
It cautions the police to stop harassing, arresting and detaining its members on flimsy charges that could pit security agents against the people, which could spark off violent resistance.
A statement issued by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said police brutality at the behest of the All Progressives Alliance (APC) is “a script by a losing team which seeks to introduce violence and use the police to execute their rigging plots.”
Ologbondiyan, also Director, Media & Publicity PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, recalled the party’s “vehement protest against the deployment of Bola Tinubu’s lackey, Kayode Egbetokun, as Kwara State Commissioner of Police.”
He alleged that Egbetokun’s deployment to Kwara is part of the plot of the APC “to use him to incite the people, cause pandemonium and pave the way for outright rigging in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari and all other candidates on the platform of the APC.
“However, the PDP, in clear terms cautions the APC and their compromised security agents that nobody has the monopoly of the show of strength.
“Our members in Kwara, or any other state for that matter are law-abiding but will never allow themselves to be subjugated by anybody, particularly in this critical electoral process.”
The PDP urged its members to activate their individual and collective defence mechanisms by using every legitimate means available to resist the aggression of the APC and its “compromised security agents” as well as dismantle their rigging machinery.
“We know that the plan of the APC is to stop our members from accessing their polling centres.
“Our members should deploy all legitimate means, including lawful self-preservation strategies and tactical maneuvers to beat the aggressions, arrive at their respective polling centers and exercise their voting rights accordingly.”
The PDP asked the inspector general of police to immediately call Egbetokun to order.
It also urged democrats all over the world to condemn “this wicked harassment and arrest of our members ahead of a crucial election.”