The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has demanded the immediate release of Mr. Austin Usman Okai, who was kidnapped on Friday in his residence in Abuja.
Below is a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Kola Ologbodiyan;
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands the immediate release of its presidential campaign spokesperson in Kogi state, Mr Austin Okai, who was abducted this evening by armed thugs unleashed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party also said the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, should immediately disband the checking point in Banda, Lokoja-Abuja highway, where the members of the opposition are being harassed and intimidated.
The PDP says its members, as well as the people of Kogi state, cannot stomach the abduction of Mr Austin Okai as well as the arrest of its members for flimsy reasons by the APC.
PDP cautions that the continued stay in captivity of Kogi state party leaders can spark off crisis in the state.
We urge the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, to immediately step into the matter to forestall a break down of law and order. This is because, if Mr Austin Okai and others are not immediately released by the APC, it would send a very wrong signal to the already agitated youth and lead to a resort to self-help.
The PDP also alerts of the arrest of its ward chairmen in Rivers state by soldiers, particularly in Abua-Odual Local Government Area, ostensibly in compliance with the orders of the Buhari Presidency.
The mass arrest in Rivers is coming on the heels of the clampdown of PDP members in Kano state with the arrest of our party leaders and campaign officials including our Senatorial candidate Ahmed Haruna Bichi and a serving member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Garba Bichi.
The PDP notes that these are two very volatile states and any act that suggests a clampdown by the authorities might lead to vehement resistance by the people and trigger crisis in the state.
We call on Nigerians to note how the Buhari Presidency and the APC are pushing Nigerians to the wall and invite the international community to hold President Buhari directly responsible for these infractions against innocent Nigerians.”
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