Ekweremadu: Buhari harasses opposition, protects thieves in APC – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decried what it called the
harassment of the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, opposition
leaders, and dissent voices by the All Progressives Congress (APC)
led-Federal Government.

The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary,
Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja, accused the government of
misusing the anti-graft and security agencies close to the 2019
general election.

Ologbondiyan said that the current development posed a grave threat to
the nation's democracy and urged the international community to stop
the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration before it became too
late.

The party was reacting to what it described as a witch-hunt against
Ekweremadu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

"Just a few days after the EFCC and over 200 policemen practically
held Ekweremadu hostage to prevent the defection of the APC Senators
to the PDP, the EFCC has continued to harass Ekweremadu to cover its
shame.

"We wish to remind Nigerians and the international community that this
is only the newest in the series of attempts to destroy the senator
politically in the run up to the 2019 general elections.

"It is of grave concern to us that while corruption and corrupt
persons abound in the APC, the EFCC prefers to chase after innocent
members of the opposition," it said.

PDP said while scores of APC members with corruption and fraud-related
charges walk free, the anti-graft agencies had continued to harass and
dent leaders of the opposition in the name of anti-corruption war.

It warned the APC administration to desist from "highhandedness and
witch-hunt of the opposition" in order not truncate the country's
democracy.

"The APC government cannot be allowed to tarnish and destroy
opposition leaders just a few months to the general election in the
name of fighting corruption," Ologbondiyan added.