FG crackdown on PDP leaders ahead of election

Security agencies have launched a nationwide operation against leaders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) less than 24 hours to the commencement of the general election, the main opposition party has alleged.

On Friday, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) searched the home of Ayo Fayose, the south-west co-ordinator of the PDP presidential campaign.

It was gathered that the homes of more PDP leaders will be searched between Friday night and Saturday morning by the security agencies who said they are trying to stop “vote buying”.

In Kwara, the police have arrested Rafiu Ibrahim, the senator representing the south district.

In a statement issued on Friday, the PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus, said all the terms of the agreement for peace have been broken by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) “who has deployed military and the police operatives to arrest and detain PDP leaders across the country”.

Secondus listed the states affected as Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Kano and Kaduna.

“PDP leaders are being harassed with arrest and detention by security operatives on flimsy reasons,” he said.

He said private jets belonging to an APC leader in Lagos “have been stationed at the airports protected by government operatives as money is being moved from the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) to states”.

In Ekiti, the PDP chapter condemned “the invasion of the Afao Ekiti residence” of Fayose, saying no amount of intimidation can break the will of Nigerians “to vote out the APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari”.

The party said armed operatives of the EFCC stormed Fayose’s residence to conduct a search, claiming he was in custody of funds meant for the PDP in the south-west.