Osun state Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised alarm over the ongoing Gestapo- like the arrest of its top leaders, calling the development " a threat to democracy".
In a statement issued to journalists tagged "Osun Is Under Siege", the State Caretaker Chairman of the party, Dr Adekunle Akindele said "we woke up to what appeared like rumours that Osun state would be invaded by armed men, both from the Nigerian police and notorious APC thugs imported from Lagos to be disguised as police operatives to cause mayhem and unrest in Osun State.
He said these armed men were ferried into the state and were given handouts of leaders and members of the PDP to be arrested and detained for no just cause.
"We call you to raise alarm on an ongoing unjust, unfair, draconian and dictatorial raid and arrest of PDP leaders across Osun state.
"As I am addressing you today, PPD leaders are being hunted and arrested in Gestapo style. Across Osun state , houses of our leaders are being surrounded and raised even without search warrant. Where our leaders are not at home, their families are arrested and their cars taken away on various false pretext."
"An undemocratic statewide operation is ongoing designed to pick and lock up prominent PDP leaders ahead of next state election. Our surprise is that such mass raid is being conducted against a ruling political party in clear violation of fundamental human rights of those affected ."
"We want to note particularly that instead of arresting APC members who are attacking PDP members on daily basis, the said statewide is targeting the victims instead of the culprits. PDP members are the victims of APC violence. Now PDP members are the ones being arrested."
"Five of our members were killed at Ilesa shortly after the visit of the state Governor. At Ila Orangun , four members of PDP were killed by rampaging APC thugs. At Irewole , four of our members were gunned down by an APC squad. Across the state, APC militants have been harassing and maiming PDP members."
"Unfortunately, the Police Commissioner has not being professional in the discharge of his duties. All petitions from PDP on violent attacks on our members are not attended to. We have come to the conclusion that the state election Commissioner is biased and partisan," they alleged.
"We call for his redeployment with immediate effect."
"It is thus sad that instead of attending to the petitions of the victims, the ongoing operation is targetting the victims, the PDP."
All these are ploys to disrupt the peace of Osun State ahead of the rescheduled house of assembly election slated for next Saturday."
"A situation where APC chieftains became the mouthpiece of the Nigerian police, analysing who and who to arrest and for crimes that best suit their whims, reinforces our fears that security institutions have been compromised in the state."
"Our great party uses this opportunity to call on President Mohammadu Buhari as father and chief security officer of the nation to beam his searchlight on the nefarious plans of the Apc to disrupt the peace of the state using the police ahead of the coming election. An unjust arrest or detaining leaders of our party in the impossible guise of plotting against the people of the state will surely bear unpalatable consequences."
"Election should not be a war for those who are in good stead in deeds and acceptability to the people, who are constitutionally empowered to choose their representatives at all levels of government. Again, no democracy will thrive under a forced or fraudulent process, which was the bane of the immediate past administration in the state."
"The IGP should rather conduct a proper investigation of APC political warmongers, whose only route to self-survival is violence and bloodshed. It is a no-brainer that all recent cases of political attacks in parts of the state were masterminded by Apc desperados, who are battling hard to escape punishment for their past sins of mismanaging the state."
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"Both the election and substantive commissioners of police in Osun State are also called upon to be professional in their conducts and resist all entreaties to intimidate the people of the state as doing so will be akin to stamping on the tail of a 'gentle cobra'."
"Let us make it clear that Osun people cannot be intimidated. That nursing perilous thought of causing mayhem to inflict psychological trauma on the people should perish the thought or live to nurse their defeat because Osun cannot be cowed. "
"While we await the drama of the security operatives disguised as special forces, we enjoying the good people of Osun State to remain calm, and go about their lawful businesses but should be vigilant and resolute on their resolve to detach themselves from harrowing experiences of the past. "
"If they could not defeat the state since July 16 2022 governorship election till they were overwhelmed in the last National Assembly election, they certainly will be defeated again, more devastatingly", the statement added.
