The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to immediately release all of its members who are currently in detention.
The National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party at the end of its 71st meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, May 17, gave this order, to protest what it termed ‘witch-hunt and unnecessary oppression of the opposition’.
The meeting had in attendance, Governors elected on the platform of the party, as well as some principal officers and members of the National Assembly.
The resolution, which was signed by Chinwe Nnorom, the Head of publicity at the Wadata plaza secretariat of the party, reads in part:
“NEC observed and condemned in strong terms the arbitrary arrest and detention of PDP members on account of Party campaign funds by the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari and urged Nigerians and the International Community to request the APC Administration to investigate the campaign funds of its Party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) as some accusations of misuse of public funds are also levelled against some APC governors and stakeholders.
“NEC further decried the selective probe of PDP members by the anti-graft agency under the administration of the APC as a case of witch-hunt and unnecessary oppression aimed at silencing members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).“NEC therefore demands the immediate release of all members of the PDP in the custody of the anti-graft agency, the EFCC, or charge them to Court without further delay”.
This is coming after the latest arrest of a former governor of Kaduna state, Ramalan Yero, and the Principal Private Secretary to Mr. Jonathan, Hassan Tukur by the EFCC.
EFCC sources said Yero was implicated when two suspects earlier arrested by the anti-graft agency, revealed that he collected N700 million from the loot of a slush fund deposited in Fidelity Bank.
Also, four Ministers who served in the immediate past PDP administration of Goodluck Jonathan have been arrested and questioned, while another former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayodeis currently being detained by the EFCC.
However, the party has decided to ignore a court order by a Federal High Court in Lagos stopping its convention, stating that its national convention, slated for Saturday in Portharcourt, Rivers state will hold as schedule.
The PDP therefore said it will approve the Report of the Ekweremadu Committee on the zoning of the party’s Presidential Ticket for the 2019 Presidential Election to the North.
“NEC also resolved that due to the issues arising from the just concluded congresses at the wards, local governments and states, especially in Sokoto, Zamfara, Anambra, Lagos, Osun and Adamawa states, that a Special Committee shall be constituted after the National Convention to look into the matter accordingly,” the party said.
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