Again, APC alleges plot to arrest Tinubu, others
With just one week to the presidential and National Assembly elections, unsavoury ripples of politicking are mounting, as the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), at the weekend made fresh allegations suggesting a clandestine plot by the presidency to use the country’s premier anti-corruption agency to clamp down on its leaders.
Tinubu
The APC, which is the major opposition party in the country, alleged on Saturday that it had uncovered plans by the Federal Government and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), intended to cripple the party by arresting its leaders days to the election.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, told journalists in Lagos that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may play the role of government’s errand boy in this case, noting that the anti-graft agency may swoop on the party leaders any time in the week based on trumped up charges.
He recalled that the government carried out similar action on the eve of the Osun governorship poll last year.
According to Mohammed, the government is executing a programme “to decimate the opposition and gain an undue advantage ahead of the forthcoming general elections, due to start next Saturday.”
His words: “Without mincing words, we are aware that a red alert has been sent to the EFCC to arrest the National Leader of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on trumped-up charges anytime from now.
“In addition, anyone who is suspected of being a financier of the APC is to be arrested, all in efforts to decapitate the main opposition party, which is undoubtedly cruising to victory in the forthcoming elections.
“And as part of the offensive against the APC in the days ahead, there is a plan to freeze the accounts of companies, individuals and organisations believed to be financing the party, with the ultimate objective of crippling the party so it won’t be able to sustain its activities, like paying its agents on election day and other logistics.”
Mohammed further explained that the “planned arrest is orchestrated by the same people who have sponsored a series of protests to the EFCC, on the basis of the same documentary against Asiwaju, which they also masterminded.”
He reminded journalists that on March 9, the APC had raised the alarm about the plan to arrest those suspected to be key financiers of the party, but the government and the PDP described it as false alarm.
He continued: “Then, during the meeting of the PDP Governors in Lagos on March 10, one of the governors, Sule Lamido of Jigawa, said all that needs to be done to break the APC is to ‘kidnap’ two of its leaders, apparently referring to Asiwaju and our presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
“Definitely, the current move to arrest Asiwaju and anyone they suspect to be a financier of our party, fits into the alarm we raised and the open threat by Gov. Lamido. How predictable can a government be?
“It is clear that the momentum has swung to the side of our party, with just a little over a week before the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“It is clear that Nigerians have rejected the PDP and have embraced our party, the APC, as the agent of the change that they (Nigerians) so much desire.
“That explains the desperation being exhibited by the PDP-led Jonathan Administration to arrest Asiwaju, whom they see as the arrowhead of the opposition, believing that this will cripple our party and stop the momentum we have gained.
“Still on frame-up, the Jonathan Administration has also alleged that our leaders are behind a certain APC Radio, which they claimed is being used to destabilise the polity.
“Gentlemen, we state categorically that we have nothing to do with that radio station. We believe strongly that the radio station is the handiwork of the same people who are accusing us of establishing it.
“Their main reason for setting up the station is simple: To use it as another excuse to clamp down on our leaders.
“They are the ones who set up the station. They are the ones who announced its establishment to the whole country and now they are the ones who are trying to leverage it to arrest our leaders.
“Gentlemen, we are not surprised at the increasing resort to dirty tactics by the PDP-led Jonathan Administration.
“It fits into the pattern of the Administration’s abuse of federal institutions, including the police, the military and the regulatory agencies, to harass and intimidate the opposition
“It is also a reflection of the desperation of the Jonathan government to make sure that Nigeria is plunged into chaos by sabotaging the elections.
“As we have always said, this President is not interested in free, fair, credible and violence-free polls.
“That is why it can even contemplate the arrest of opposition leaders on trumped-up charges, hoping that it will trigger a crisis that will either scuttle the polls or pave the way for anti-democratic forces to short-circuit our country’s democracy.”
The party said President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP are taking Nigeria on the road to Kigali and Laurent Gbagbo’s post-election Ivory Coast in the days ahead.
In its reaction, the PDP on Saturday described the APC as paranoid for alleging that the ruling party is set to unleash the EFCC on its (APC) leaders.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a response to his APC counterpart, Mohammed, said the opposition party has become fond of pushing frivolities to the fore front.
“We have always insisted that spokespersons of political parties, as distinct from support staff, should maintain the highest level of decency, civility and morals in the discharge of our duties.
“However, it remains rather shocking that 98 per cent of Lai Mohammed’s statements bother on the frivolous and poorly produced wild accusations.
“We do not speak for the EFCC; but we will not support any action that can trigger unrest in an election we are winning very comfortably
“APC is suffering from near success syndrome trauma and it often leads to paranoia and delusion.
“Let them refocus on issues and plan on how to rebuild the tatters of their failed experiment”, Metuh said.
On its own, the described the APC allegations as mere politics.
A top source at the EFCC who said that the commission was not ready to join issues with APC, urged Nigerians to disregard the allegations.
The source, who pleaded anonymity, said: “If not that you are the one asking for our reaction on this issue, I would not pick the call.
“We don’t want to join issues with their politics, because all they are doing is politics.
Tinubu
The APC, which is the major opposition party in the country, alleged on Saturday that it had uncovered plans by the Federal Government and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), intended to cripple the party by arresting its leaders days to the election.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, told journalists in Lagos that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may play the role of government’s errand boy in this case, noting that the anti-graft agency may swoop on the party leaders any time in the week based on trumped up charges.
He recalled that the government carried out similar action on the eve of the Osun governorship poll last year.
According to Mohammed, the government is executing a programme “to decimate the opposition and gain an undue advantage ahead of the forthcoming general elections, due to start next Saturday.”
His words: “Without mincing words, we are aware that a red alert has been sent to the EFCC to arrest the National Leader of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on trumped-up charges anytime from now.
“In addition, anyone who is suspected of being a financier of the APC is to be arrested, all in efforts to decapitate the main opposition party, which is undoubtedly cruising to victory in the forthcoming elections.
“And as part of the offensive against the APC in the days ahead, there is a plan to freeze the accounts of companies, individuals and organisations believed to be financing the party, with the ultimate objective of crippling the party so it won’t be able to sustain its activities, like paying its agents on election day and other logistics.”
Mohammed further explained that the “planned arrest is orchestrated by the same people who have sponsored a series of protests to the EFCC, on the basis of the same documentary against Asiwaju, which they also masterminded.”
He reminded journalists that on March 9, the APC had raised the alarm about the plan to arrest those suspected to be key financiers of the party, but the government and the PDP described it as false alarm.
He continued: “Then, during the meeting of the PDP Governors in Lagos on March 10, one of the governors, Sule Lamido of Jigawa, said all that needs to be done to break the APC is to ‘kidnap’ two of its leaders, apparently referring to Asiwaju and our presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
“Definitely, the current move to arrest Asiwaju and anyone they suspect to be a financier of our party, fits into the alarm we raised and the open threat by Gov. Lamido. How predictable can a government be?
“It is clear that the momentum has swung to the side of our party, with just a little over a week before the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“It is clear that Nigerians have rejected the PDP and have embraced our party, the APC, as the agent of the change that they (Nigerians) so much desire.
“That explains the desperation being exhibited by the PDP-led Jonathan Administration to arrest Asiwaju, whom they see as the arrowhead of the opposition, believing that this will cripple our party and stop the momentum we have gained.
“Still on frame-up, the Jonathan Administration has also alleged that our leaders are behind a certain APC Radio, which they claimed is being used to destabilise the polity.
“Gentlemen, we state categorically that we have nothing to do with that radio station. We believe strongly that the radio station is the handiwork of the same people who are accusing us of establishing it.
“Their main reason for setting up the station is simple: To use it as another excuse to clamp down on our leaders.
“They are the ones who set up the station. They are the ones who announced its establishment to the whole country and now they are the ones who are trying to leverage it to arrest our leaders.
“Gentlemen, we are not surprised at the increasing resort to dirty tactics by the PDP-led Jonathan Administration.
“It fits into the pattern of the Administration’s abuse of federal institutions, including the police, the military and the regulatory agencies, to harass and intimidate the opposition
“It is also a reflection of the desperation of the Jonathan government to make sure that Nigeria is plunged into chaos by sabotaging the elections.
“As we have always said, this President is not interested in free, fair, credible and violence-free polls.
“That is why it can even contemplate the arrest of opposition leaders on trumped-up charges, hoping that it will trigger a crisis that will either scuttle the polls or pave the way for anti-democratic forces to short-circuit our country’s democracy.”
The party said President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP are taking Nigeria on the road to Kigali and Laurent Gbagbo’s post-election Ivory Coast in the days ahead.
In its reaction, the PDP on Saturday described the APC as paranoid for alleging that the ruling party is set to unleash the EFCC on its (APC) leaders.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a response to his APC counterpart, Mohammed, said the opposition party has become fond of pushing frivolities to the fore front.
“We have always insisted that spokespersons of political parties, as distinct from support staff, should maintain the highest level of decency, civility and morals in the discharge of our duties.
“However, it remains rather shocking that 98 per cent of Lai Mohammed’s statements bother on the frivolous and poorly produced wild accusations.
“We do not speak for the EFCC; but we will not support any action that can trigger unrest in an election we are winning very comfortably
“APC is suffering from near success syndrome trauma and it often leads to paranoia and delusion.
“Let them refocus on issues and plan on how to rebuild the tatters of their failed experiment”, Metuh said.
On its own, the described the APC allegations as mere politics.
A top source at the EFCC who said that the commission was not ready to join issues with APC, urged Nigerians to disregard the allegations.
The source, who pleaded anonymity, said: “If not that you are the one asking for our reaction on this issue, I would not pick the call.
“We don’t want to join issues with their politics, because all they are doing is politics.
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