APC Is Using DSS To Terrorise Opposition – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party has asked the ruling All Progressives Congress to stop using security operatives to harass its members across the country.
The party condemned in strong term the alleged invasion and occupation of Akwa Ibom state government house, Uyo, by officials of the Department of State Services, saying such action is at variant with the constitutional immunity of the government house, Daily Post reports.
Olisa Metuh, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, in a statement on Sunday, September 6, said the alleged invasion was capable of causing constitutional crisis, avoidable anarchy and civil unrest in the country. He therefore called on Nigerians and the international community to take note.
The PDP noted that its findings showed that the DSS acted on the orders from presidency, which is aimed to destabilise and illegally takeover Akwa Ibom and other PDP states.
The statement read in part: “We have information that the DSS, acting on the instructions of the Presidency, occupied Akwa-Ibom State Government House, ransacking guest houses for no just cause.
“If such terror can be unleashed on a state government, one can only imagine the fate of regular citizens in the hands of this administration that has continued to show unparalleled disdain for constitutional order, with heinous penchant for oppression.
“We have also been made aware of plans by the APC government to stage similar invasions and unlawful assaults on other PDP states, including Rivers, Delta, Abia and Taraba, where electoral officers are already being hounded and harassed by the DSS, who are also directly interfering in the activities of the election tribunals, in furtherance of APC’s desperation to take over these states.
“The PDP recalls similar action by the APC controlled police, which in July, sealed local councils in Rivers State and barred caretaker committees lawfully appointed by the state government from taking charge of the councils.
“We wish to restate that the PDP lost a general election and not a war. PDP states are not occupied territories but part of the Nigerian nation; its members are not prisoners of war, but free citizens in a democratic state.
“We invite Nigerians and the international community to note that never in the history of our democracy have we witnessed such a divisive government, whose actions and constitutional violations have so polarized the polity along its fault lines, while undermining national unity and cohesion, a development that spells doom for our democracy, if left unchecked.
“Finally, we wish to state categorically that as citizens of this country, we can no longer continue to stomach such brazen attacks on our members and elected officials. The PDP will therefore hold several leadership and stakeholders meetings to come up with its response to this barefaced assault on our democracy. Enough is enough!”
Meanwhile, following the invasion of Akwa Ibom state government house by DSS, a top official of the secret service had revealed that the service found stockpiles of US dollars.
He said that rather than finding arms and ammunition, the piles of hard currencies were allegedly locked in a room in one of the guest houses within the expansive complex.
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