The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has disagreed with the All Progressives Congress, APC’s interpretation of the reason behind the Kano lawmakers’ arrest and subsequent detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and dispelled insinuations that the grilling of the principal officers of the assembly had political undertones.
Interim National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed had in a statement on Tuesday, said “The tragedy of the unfolding scenario, which will surely extend to other APC states in the days ahead, is that a democratically-elected government is toeing the well-worn vindictive path of a military dictatorship by harassing and intimidating supposed opponents and stifling the opposition.
“The Gestapo-style siege on the Kano House of Assembly is a throwback to what Nigerians thought was a bygone era of military dictatorship. We hate to say it, but we have been proven right in our warning in October 2013 that the president was using Rivers State to test run fascism. Now, he seems ready to roll”, he said.
But the Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Mr. Uche Secondus, lashed out at the APC, which linked the lawmakers’ arrest to their defection from the ruling party to opposition.
He told reporters in Abuja yesterday that the issue should not be seen as political victimisation, adding that the anti-graft agency was only doing its job.
He said: “It is a disservice to the nation for anybody or even a political party to input political motives and persecution into the professional operations of the EFCC in the arrest of some members of the Kano State House of Assembly as the All Progressives Congress (APC) wants Nigerians to believe.
“Everything is not politics. The EFCC is only doing its professional duty. The Kano State lawmakers were invited for questioning by the EFCC. This is not political harassment and cannot be seen as intimidation. They are not arrested for doing their legislative duties as the APC wants Nigerians to believe.
“It is better to allow the EFCC to conclude its investigation before coming to any conclusion of allegation of political harassment and intimidation.”
He explained that Nigeria is a democratic country, adding that no one is above the law or should be seen to be above investigation.
“When you commit an offence, then it is the duty of the security agencies to investigate and therefore, it would be wrong for the APC to allude to allegations of political intimidation and harassment in the case of the EFCC’s arrest of the Kano State lawmakers,” he added.
Arrest Of Kano Lawmakers: EFCC Only Doing Its Job, PDP Tells APC
