THE Forum of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Osun State House of Assembly Candidates, on Tuesday strongly condemned what it termed the unlawful and barbaric acts of the police over the arrest of its governorship candidate in the last election, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
The forum expressed this view in a statement issued and signed by its spokesman, Mr Faruq Olanrewaju Abbas, a candidate for Ejigbo State Constituency, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to rein members of the police force so as to avoid a situation where the polity would be unduly overheated.
It also called on the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, to call his men to order as continued harassment of Senator Adeleke was capable of leading to a breakdown of law and order in Osun State.
According to the forum, this is “a repetition of various court actions some of which have been concluded while others are still ongoing at various other higher courts,” declaring it was wrong for the police to allow itself to be used by those it described as some unscrupulous elements in the political arena to hound and harass Senator Adeleke over a matter, which two superior courts of record and the election petition tribunal had already made a pronouncement on.
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This was just as the forum hailed the Nigerian Judiciary for granting Adeleke bail at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Magistrate’s Court in a case of testimonial and certificate forgery.
The group of PDP candidates said Senator Adeleke was being harassed because of his victory against the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the election tribunal had declared him the winner of Osun State governorship poll.
It counselled the APC and those behind Adeleke’s ordeal to await the decision of the Federal High Court on the pending criminal trial, as against seeking to use the machinery of the state and the Nigeria Police Force to intimidate and harass the senator.
The forum added that the APC had the opportunity of establishing that the Senator Adeleke was not qualified to contest for the position of governor at the election petition tribunal, but was unable “to establish this laughable claim at the tribunal.”
It equally called on Osun citizens and PDP members to remain calm in the face of this unwarranted provocation, urging them to continue to pray for the safety of Senator Adeleke.
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