The Peoples Democratic Party has demanded the release of its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, warning that his arrest was capable of ruining the country’s democracy.
The party said in a statement by its National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo, that Metuh’s arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday morning did not come as a surprise “given series of threats” to him by the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Federal Government.
The PDP spokesperson is believed to be in connection with the ongoing $2.1bn arms probe. He is said to be under investigation for allegedly collecting about N400m from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).
The money is believed to be part of the funds meant for the procurement of arms and ammunition for the fight against Boko Haram in North-East.
The PDP, however, insisted that the arrest was part of a crackdown on its members in a bid to silence the opposition and “install a dictatorial one-party state”.
It said, “The arrest of Chief Metuh today underscores the growing political intolerance in our country and the foisting of a police state which was last Wednesday underscored by the President and Commander-in-Chief himself, who defended why a government in a democracy should flout constitutional provision and brazenly disobey court orders.”
The PDP also claimed that there was a plot to harm Metuh while in custody.
“We state this because we have been made aware of top directives to break Chief Metuh and if possible poison him during his detention by the EFCC,” it said.
It added that the excesses of security agencies under the APC-led Federal Government, especially the Directorate of Security Services and the EFCC, in abridging the human rights of PDP members had become worrisome and a threat to the country’s democratic evolution.
The party called on the international community and well-meaning Nigerians to stand up for democracy, which it said it “nurtured for 16 years and deepened to a level where the opposition, for the first time in our political history, had the opportunity to win in a general election”.
“We therefore forewarn the FG and its agencies to save our democracy and forthwith release our National Publicity Secretary,” it added.
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