Ahead of Saturday’s presidential campaign rally in Ado-Ekiti, the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has raised the alarm over alleged plan by Governor Ayodele Fayose to instigate the police to carry out mass arrests of its leaders to cripple mobilization efforts of the party to draw a large crowd.
The APC atate Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said in a statement that the party had uncovered plans by the governor to coerce the police to arrest APC leaders through trumped-up charges.
He said even though police sources hinted that the Command was not well-disposed to illegal arrests, the police are under tremendous pressure to do Fayose’s’s bidding.
The statement said: “It appears that the Commissioner of Police has lost control over security management of the state because we have it on good authority that the governor is threatening him to carry out his orders. From our investigation and information available to us, we believe the man is overwhelmed by the directives to commit illegalities against the APC and the man appears helpless in the situation he finds himself.”
Olatubosun explained that the Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, is in a fix over the latest directive for mass arrests of APC leaders.
He added in the statement: “Our investigation has further revealed that the governor called the commissioner of police and gave him a marching order to begin mass arrests of APC leaders from today, Wednesday, January 21. The man said he cannot be arresting people who commit no offence but the governor assured him that he would instigate trumped-up charges against APC leaders that would create excuse for the police to arrest our leaders. We have it on good authority that the governor warned the Commissioner of police not to sabotage his plan.”
The APC spokesman explained that the party had earlier called the attention of the police authorities and the general public to the planned clamp down on APC leaders after the governor held a meeting with the Ekiti State Council of Obas where he sought their co-operation in his desperate bid to win the February 14 presidential election in Ekiti State at all cost.
His words: “Nigerians would recall that a group had earlier raised the alarm after he sought the support of the Obas in his illegalities ahead and during the presidential election. He pointedly told the Obas that there would be crises before and during the election and specifically told the Obas to look the other way when he moves against the opposition. He asked them to be churning out press releases in his support in times of crises like they did during the June 21, 2014 governorship election. “Now is the implementation time and the stage is set for mass arrests of our leaders to intimidate them and create fears in the minds of our members to dissuade them from attending the campaign rally on Saturday.”
The party called on the police to be conscious of their duties and responsibilities to Nigerian people, while the Department of State Security is put on notice.
It urged the police not to allow the governor ruin their professional career on the platter of executive lawlessness.