The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the arrest of its Ogun State Chairman, Abayomi Tella, in a hotel during the ongoing by-election.
This is as it described it as intimidation and harassment allegedly backed by security agencies to give the ruling All Progressives Congress an advantage.
The party, on Saturday, accused the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Services of complicity, calling their actions “dastardly and cowardly.”
The PDP said it was disheartening that the Nigerian Police and the DSS who are entrusted with upholding law and order, have shown clear complicity in what it described as dastardly and cowardly acts.
The party said that rather than apprehending the real perpetrators of violence, security operatives had turned their focus on harassing and victimising opposition parties.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, and made available to journalists, the party also raised the alarm over the rampant violence that marred the Federal Constituency by-election in Sagamu, Remo North, and Ikenne.
It said, “Reports from the ground paint a grim picture of heavy gunshots, brazen harassment of voters, and intimidation of electoral officers.
“This shameful display of thuggery and lawlessness is a direct assault on the democratic rights of our people.
“The PDP strongly condemns these acts and calls for immediate action to restore sanity and justice to the electoral process.
“In a particularly shocking move, the PDP Chairman was arrested in his hotel in the early hours of the morning, in what appears to be a calculated attempt to weaken the opposition and pave the way for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and their thugs to manipulate the election.
“This blatant attempt to suppress the opposition and undermine the will of the people of Remo is a dangerous precedent. The people of Sagamu, Remo North, and Ikenne know who they voted for and witnessed first-hand the brigandage and threats to their mandate.”
The PDP accused Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration and security agencies of enabling electoral violence in Remo, vowing to resist intimidation and demanding the release of its Chairman and other opposition members.
It further noted, “The Dapo Abiodun administration’s failure to curb this regime of terror, aided by those paid to protect lives and property, is dragging our state back to the dark ages where life was described as ‘brutish and nasty.’ This is not the kind of leadership that inspires confidence or progress.
“The PDP stands with the people of Remo and will not sit idly while their democratic rights are trampled upon.
“We demand a thorough investigation into the role of the security agencies in this electoral violence and call for the immediate release of our chairman and other opposition members unjustly targeted.
“The Nigerian Police must rise above partisan politics and do their duty to protect all citizens, not serve as tools for political oppression. Governor Dapo Abiodun and the security agencies must be held accountable for every single life lost and every act of violence perpetrated during this by-election.
“We call on all well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the international community to take note of this descent into lawlessness in Ogun State.
“The PDP remains committed to defending the mandate of the people and ensuring that democracy thrives. We will not be intimidated, and we urge the people of Remo to remain resolute in their demand for justice and fairness. Enough is enough — this reign of terror must end, and those responsible must face the full weight of the law.”
Meanwhile, our correspondent reports that efforts are underway to get the reaction of the APC and the government to the PDP allegations.
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