The
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Wednesday alleged that the All Progressives
Congress, APC, and President Muhammadu Buhari are plotting to “foist a
one-party state”.
PDP said the plot was aimed at pushing a “self
succession” for Buhari “seeing that their chances of winning the presidential
election gets slimmer by the day.”
Speaking
during a press conference in Abuja, spokesperson of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan
also claimed that the Presidency was plotting to arrest those wishing to
contest for the presidency.
According to Ologbondiyan, “Our dear nation is
now passing through her darkest hours. Our constitutional democracy is under
severe attack. Agents of fascism are on the prowl. As we speak, Nigeria, as a
nation is being pushed to the brinks and personal freedom of citizens under our
constitution is no longer guaranteed.
“Today, in our country, there is an orchestrated
plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government to use
the state apparatus of power to coerce, emasculate and effectively decapitate
opposition and other dissenting voices, foist a one-party state and push a
self-succession bid for President Muhammadu Buhari, seeing that their chances
of winning the presidential election gets slimmer by the day.
“Currently, the APC has fully commenced a major
onslaught on leaders and key voices in the main opposition party, the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), particularly our state governors, opposition leaders in
the National Assembly as well as our presidential hopefuls.
“You
are already aware of the numerous exposed plots by the APC and its Federal
Government to frame up and humiliate the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike
Ekweremmadu, as well as PDP governors, particularly, Rivers State Governor,
Nyesom Wike and his Ekiti state counterpart, Governor Ayo Fayose.
“This is in addition to advanced plots by the
Federal Government to clampdown on key leaders of the party and begin to drop
in public places, alleged confessional statements made under duress in the
desperate attempt to achieve a pre-determined end of validating the bandying of
corruption allegations against members of the PDP.
“We have also been made aware of a special
presidential committee put up by the APC Federal Government to persecute our
leaders. Already, no fewer than 28 cases have been filed based on trumped up
charges. Also we are privy to series of clandestine meetings between agents of
the APC and some compromised judicial officers to get conviction at all cost.
“In the same vein, we are in the know of plots
to embarrass credible individuals, particularly in the PDP, known or perceived
to be interested in contesting the 2019 Presidential election, having realized
that their party, the APC, is finally stuck with a very unpopular and rejected
Presidential candidate, who can no longer command the support of Nigerians.”
The PDP
spokesperson alleged that the APC in a desperate attempt to win election, “is
stopping at nothing, including resort to undemocratic proclivities.”
He said, “The world is already aware of the
unrelenting Gestapo style of persecution, arrests, detention and trial of
opposition members as well as perceived opponents of the government, including
innocent business concerns, under the guise of war against corruption.
“We are not opposed to the fight against
corruption, which, of course, was started by our party, through the
establishment of credible anti-corruption institutions. We however demand that
prosecutions must be done in a credible, transparent, legitimate and
constitutional manner. We will not allow the persecution of our members under
the guise of the fight against corruption.”
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