The leading opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has raised the alarm over alleged plot by the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to suppress opposition, using the state machinery.
Specifically, the PDP said the government and APC had begun major attacks on its leaders and some outspoken individuals in the society.
The alarm was raised by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said key among the targets of the Federal Government and the APC were some PDP governors and top party officials.
Ologbondiyan said the plot by the government and the ruling party, was to foist a one party state on the nation and ensure that Buhari remained in power beyond 2019.
His words: “Today, in our country, there is an orchestrated plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government to use the state apparatus of power to coerce, emasculate and effectively decapitate opposition and other dissenting voices, foist a one-party state and push a self-succession bid for President Muhammadu Buhari, seeing that their chances of winning the presidential election gets slimmer by the day.
“Currently, the APC has fully commenced a major onslaught on leaders and key voices in the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly our state governors, opposition leaders in the National Assembly as well as our presidential hopefuls.
“You are already aware of the numerous exposed plots by the APC and its Federal Government to frame up and humiliate the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, as well as PDP governors, particularly, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his Ekiti state counterpart, Governor Ayo Fayose.
“This is in addition to advanced plots by the Federal Government to clampdown on key leaders of the party and begin to drop in public places, alleged confessional statements made under duress in the desperate attempt to achieve a pre-determined end of validating the bandying of corruption allegations against members of the PDP.”
The PDP’s spokesman however said the party would not fold its arms and watch.
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He said the party would also not allow itself to be cowed.
It stated that it would not in any way allow anybody to tarnish the image of any of its elected and appointed officials.
He said the party would do all it could to protect them, including those at the grassroots levels.
“We know that our governors, especially Governor Wike and Governor Fayose have been marked because of their principled position against the obvious incompetence, corruption and undemocratic credentials of the Buhari administration, for which Nigerians have been subjected to the worst form of suffering in the last three years.
“The PDP is proud of all our governors, particularly, on their achievements in the delivery of democracy dividends to the people and will not allow anybody to distract them.
“We want to therefore state that if this trend does not stop, we will not hesitate to call up our members and supporters in their millions in the collective effort to protect our democracy, using legitimate means provided by the laws of our land,” he said.
