National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Saturday denied that he was arrested by the Department of State Security (DSS).
The former Edo State governor made the statement during an interaction with journalists in Lagos.
It had been widely reported in the media that Oshiomhole was detained by the DSS last Sunday and grilled for nine hours after some APC governors alleged that he received bribes from certain individuals during the party’s primary elections across the country to influence the list of candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It was further alleged that the agency asked Oshiomhole to resign during interrogation.
Oshiomhole, who whereabouts was subject of public discussion all through the week, said he was only invited for a chat and was neither detained nor granted bail or asked to resign as APC chairman.
“I was invited and I honoured the invitation by the DSS. I was not arrested. I was invited for a conversation by the DSS concerning the APC primaries in some states. Nobody asked me to resign. I went to the DSS to honour their invitation and left afterwards,” Oshiomhole stated.
On the issue of corruption, the embattled politician said, “If the DSS invitation had to do with corruption, as it was alleged, it wasn’t the job of the DSS to investigate such. It’s the job of the ICPC or EFCC. The invitation, therefore, had nothing to do with corruption. I was invited in relation to the party’s primaries and I honoured the invitation. I had a conversation with them and left. I was never arrested or granted bail.”
He added, “I merely honoured the invitation and had a conversation with the DSS. This is not the first time; they have come to my office before wanting clarifications on issues and I’ve always provided them with any relevant information in my possession.
“In any case, I’m the chairman of a political party. I’m not an appointee of the government. So, it is not the job of the DSS – even though I’m always willing to assist when necessary – to investigate me, assuming the issue I was invited for has to do with corruption, as it is being portrayed to the public. That’s the job of the EFCC, not the DSS.”
On the question of who came to pick him up at the DSS office, Oshiomhole stated that he was the one who called Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to come, “but he didn’t pick me up, I drove out the way I came in.”
He reiterated that since he became the chairman of APC, the DSS had been to his office before “whenever they have concerns requiring proper clarifications”.
