Edo PDP to judiciary, police: Don’t allow APC to use you against us •Embassies, CSOs, election monitoring groups alerted

EDO State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the judiciary in the state, the police and the civil service not to allow the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to use them against its members in the build-up to the September 10 gubernatorial election.

The party, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Mr Chris Nehikhare, alleged that the APC had perfected a plot to use the police and the judiciary to take many of its prominent leaders out of circulation before the election and release them thereafter when the election must have been concluded.

According to the PDP, “in the last couple of weeks, a lot of information has been coming to us from all manner of sources. As a responsible political party, we analyse, investigate and authenticate before reacting.

“In a meeting with all directors and permanent secretaries in the employ of the Edo State government, the government intimated them that there is going to be mass arrest of PDP leaders across the 18 local government areas by the state police command.

“The directors and permanent secretaries in the employ of the state government were warned not to stand as surety for anyone so arrested and charged to court.”

The PDP said “as we continue to exercise restraint and maintain peace in the face of tyranny and assault in the hands of compromised officers of the law, we want to put all lovers of democracy, the international community, especially the British High Commission, the American Embassy, the European Union, civil society organisations and election monitoring committee on notice that the arbitrary arrests and demonic detention of our members is an invitation to anarchy and a threat to democracy.

“We, therefore, call on all responsible individuals and institutions to join us in condemning the unlawful order, and dastardly plan against our people who conduct themselves within the boundaries of the law.

“We urge the police, civil service and state judiciary not to allow themselves to be used to intimidate, harass and detain our members and to immediately release all those who have been thrown into police cells and prisons across the state under spurious allegations.