Our Democracy Is Nose-diving – PDP reacts to arrest of former Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido

Sunday, the Kano state Police command arrested a former
governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, for allegedly inciting
some of his supporters to plan towards disrupting the
conduct of July 1st local government elections being
organised by the incumbent Jigawa state governor,
Muhammad Badaru.

In a statement released Monday evening, PDP says the arrest
of the former governor is an indication that our democracy
has nosedived. Read the statement after the cut...
The attention of leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) under Senator Ahmed Makarfi, CON, has once again
been drawn to the unwarranted arrest and detention of the
Former Governor of Jigawa State, Alh. (Dr.) Sule Lamido by
men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) in Kano State. This is
outrageous and anti-democratic.
2. Dr. Lamido was arrested and detained on Sunday, April 30,
2017 on the frivolous allegation of 'inciting the public'.
3. The true reason for his arrest however, has to do with the
forthcoming Local Government Elections in Jigawa State. The
long incarceration of former Governor Gabriel Suswan is also
linked to the forthcoming LGA Elections in Benue State. The
APC led Administration is fast loosing the confidence of the
people because of its non-performance, high handedness and
lack of empathy for the suffering of the people. The only
option left for it is to prevent the opposition from effectively
campaigning and mobilizing the people for the Elections. The
whole strategy of the failed APC Government is founded on
the assumption that if there is no opposition, then they cannot
be defeated. Hence the intimidation, harassment and
incarceration of popular opposition leaders like Sule Lamido.
We are aware that, we in the opposition will be in for a hard
time in the Run-up to the 2019 General Elections with more
arrests and intimidation of our prominent leaders.
4. For the record, President Muhammadu Buhari before the
2011 General Elections made several inciting statements
against the rigging of the elections with grave consequences
thereafter. He was never arrested nor detained.
5. Nigerians cannot also forget some inciting statements
credited to President Buhari ahead of the 2015 General
Elections. Especially, General Buhari while addressing
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) members in Niger
State incited his audience in Hausa language that translates
thus, “...If what happened in 2011 should again happen in
2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all
be soaked in blood.’’ For this statement and others as well,
he was never invited, arrested or detained by any of the
security agencies under the PDP Administration. It was not a
sign of weakness by the PDP led Government. It was in
deference to freedom of speech, democracy and peace.
6. The APC has today unleashed the Nigerian Police, the DSS
and the EFCC to harass and intimidate Court Judges,
opposition leaders, social media influencers/bloggers and
other Nigerians that speaks against the APC led federal or
state governments on fabricated charges just to cow them.
Gov Lamido merely asked the people to defend their votes
against rigging. How is that a crime? If you are not planning
to steal the peoples' votes, why should you be afraid if the
people are advised to defend their votes? Of course, no thief
would want the owner to guide his house against burglary.
7. The excesses of the security agencies has now reached
alarming proportions. If they must be reminded, their mandate
is to defend all Nigerians and not to act as a willing
instrument of oppression of the people by the authocratic
APC Government.
8. We are therefore calling on the security agencies in the
Country to release unconditionally, Gov Sule Lamido, the
Former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, Former
Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, and all other
political detainees in their custody. We are in a democracy
and not a Gestapo State.
9. We want to also use this opportunity to invite members of
the international community to call the APC government
particularly the overexcited and autocratic APC Governors to
order. They are the ones who are instigating the lawlessness
as we saw in Kogi, Niger, Benue and now Jigawa State. If this
ugly trend is not stopped forthwith, it may lead to breach of
peace and public disorder. The APC leaders and Governors
should be held responsible for whatever is the outcome of
this continuous intimidation of opposition members in the
Country.