The Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) has condemned what it described as unrelenting media trial and
persecution of opposition members and perceived opponents of the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government through anti-graft
agencies.
It said the trial of its members
won’t stop the party from defeating the APC in 2019.
National Publicity Secretary, Mr
Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja said members of the
opposition were being persecuted under the guise of fighting corruption.
Ologbondiyan said that whereas
the PDP was in no way opposed to the fight against corruption, it was
completely against government’s resort to media trial and constant harassment
of opposition.
He said the party was against
unlawful detention and trumped-up charges against opposition members, using
various anti-graft agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC).
“The PDP particularly rejects the
emerging trend by the EFCC, wherein accused persons and individuals who are
still under investigation on alleged corruption charges are paraded and forced
to hang criminal tags.
“This was meted out to former
Kaduna State Governor Muktar Yero, even when he has not been convicted by any
court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
Recall that Islamic scholar,
Sheik Ahmad Gumi has also condemned the treatment of Yero like a common
criminal.
PDP added that it is “totally
against the desperation by the EFCC, working under the instruction of the APC,
to declare a guilty verdict on accused persons without trial by the courts.
“This is all in the bid to bring
perceived political opponents to public odium and emasculate the opposition
ahead of 2019 general elections.’’
Ologbondiyan said the PDP also
rejected direct interference in ongoing cases, including those in courts, by
appointees of the Presidency, particularly members of the Presidential Advisory
Committee on Corruption.
He said the comments and actions
of the appointees had continued to escalate media trials and other
irregularities in the handling of such cases.
“The PDP insists, in very
unequivocal terms, that we can no longer continue to stomach the hijacking of
the duties of the judiciary by agencies of the executive under the instructions
of the Presidency.
“Nigerians will recall that the
PDP had earlier raised the alarm over this unrelenting assault, harassment, and
persecution of opposition members under the guise of fight against
corruption,’’ he said.
Ologbondiyan said the fight
against corruption must be prosecuted within the ambits of the provisions of
the law.
“Corruption fight cannot be used as an
instrument of persecution and clampdown against the opposition,’’ he said.
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