The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has described the arrest of the Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, Tanimu Turaki, SAN, as an attempt at frustrating Atiku Abubakar’s move to challenge the result of the February 23 presidential poll at the Election Petitions Tribunal.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared President Muahammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, winner of the election.
According to CUPP, Turaki, was picked up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Abuja on Monday, was arrested “not for any crime but in a failed attempt to derail the completion of processes leading to the filing of the case at the tribunal to retrieve the stolen mandate President Buhari has been parading around.”
In a statement by its national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, on Tuesday, the coalition posited that Turaki’s arrest was politically motivated.
The statement read; “The CUPP is raising the alarm once again about the desperate attempt by Muhammadu Buhari and his foot soldiers to frustrate efforts being made by the coalition’s presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to retrieve his stolen mandate through a peaceful means – at the tribunal.
“This time, Buhari, through his administration’s heavily biased and partisan, EFCC has arrested Turaki.
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“The CUPP wishes to condemn the politically motivated arrest of Turaki by the EFCC, not for any crime but in a failed attempt to derail the completion of processes leading to the filing of the case at the tribunal to retrieve the stolen mandate President Buhari has been parading around.
“The senior advocate only went to the EFCC’s office in connection with the signing of bail papers for Atiku’s associates who are in custody.
“The mode of his arrest and detention clearly shows it was upon a spontaneous realisation that he was a coordinating factor in the expected legal challenge of the rigged presidential election of February 23.
“They are questioning him on the evidence the PDP has in its possession and the location of the documents/legal secretariat and list of witnesses.
“This is obviously with a view to storming the location, carting away relevant papers and derailing the filing of the papers in the tribunal which must be completed within 21 days from the date of announcement of the election results.”
