Youths of Nigeria’s leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, under the banner of Peoples Democratic Party National Youth Frontier, PDPNYF, have lamented the rate at which the current government is persecuting the members of the party.
The party described the freezing of the personal account of Governor Ayodele Fayose by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as manifestation of a grand plot by President Muhammadu Buhari to discredit PDP members and weaken “our great party ahead of 2019 general elections.”
The PDPNYF in a statement on Tuesday, by its National Coordinator, Usman Okai, argued that “history is repeating itself again.”
According to Okai, “President Muhammadu Buhari is clearly manifesting the same dictatorial tendencies he exhibited during his military regime between 1983 to 1985, as presently being applied in the polity in the attempt to discredit PDP members and weaken our great party ahead of 2019.”
Okhai said: “How does one explain the freezing of the personal account of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State in Zenith Bank, by the EFCC, just because he’s a leading opposition voice speaking against ills of the Buhari Presidency and the APC-led Government.
“The freezing of Governor Fayose’s Bank Account is a move targeted at weakening the PDP and linking him (Fayose) with Arms probe. An this is categorically orchestrated by the APC. This act by the EFCC is politically motivated and targeted at weakening the leading opposition figures.
“The APC has designed and perfected plans to destroy the leading and largest opposition party in Africa , knowing full well that it has failed to deliver on it frivolous campaign promises sensing the facts that PDP is set to take over power in 2019.
“The EFCC has since Buhari’s resumption in office been targeting PDP top figures. It’s now obvious that President Buhari is still a dictator and his anti-corruption crusade is a sham, hypocritical, double standard and selective.”
The PDPNYF reaffirmed its total support for holistic fight against corruption, but decried that unfolding events had confirmed “our position that this administration is only using the anti-corruption posture as a tool to witch-hunt PDP members and perceived political opponents of the APC government. What we know for a fact is that the PDP is currently undergoing reforms and is ready to unseat the APC in 2019.
“The ongoing rebuilding exercise in the PDP will see the party take over power in 2019, notwithstanding that Buhari is applying every negative means to decimate our great party, including the relentless victimization of our key members.”
“Another leading opposition voice and erstwhile Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani Kayode has been silenced and languishing in the EFCC custody in the name of the war against corruption. Despite the facts that the accused has met all the bail conditions, they would still not allow him enjoy his fundamental human rights,” lamented the PDP youths.
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