The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of its chieftain Doyin Okupe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This demand was made on Tuesday in a statement by the party’s spokesperson Kola Ologbondiyan.
“The PDP describes Dr. Okupe’s arrest and detention as an act of intimidation and harassment by the Muhammadu Buhari-led presidency in its bid to browbeat the opposition and dissenting voices in our country ahead of the 2019 general election.
“This arrest is part of the grand plot to escalate the clampdown on opposition leaders, in the attempt to cow and subjugate them as the elections draw nearer, a scheme the PDP had since alerted the nation about,” the party said.
The party alleged that the EFCC was after Mr Okupe because he asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare President Buhari’s candidature for 2019 election invalid.
“The PDP invites Nigerians to note that the EFCC was unleashed on Dr. Okupe with fabricated charges, just because of his criticisms of the misrule of the Buhari administration, particularly, his last Wednesday’s demand to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare President Buhari as not validly nominated as a Presidential candidate for the 2019 elections.
“Since this comment, Dr. Okupe has been threatened, harassed and his home raided by officials of the EFCC last Saturday over claims of cyber stalking, which they could not substantiate, only for the commission to arrest and detain him on Monday.
“Why has the EFCC not invited the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and President Buhari’s close relatives, who were recently mentioned by a suspect, Amina Mohammed, as being involved in serial looting of public resources?,” PDP queried.
