PDP to Buhari: Question your Chief of Staff over Oshiomhole’s arrest comment
The Peoples Democratic Party National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to question his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari over a trending video alleging that the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole soliciting the arrests of certain individuals, ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo in a discusion with Gambari at the Presidential Villa.
According to the party, it is alarming that in the video, Oshiomhole was heard emphatically urging the Chief of Staff to Mr. President on the need to clampdown on certain unnamed Nigerians to achieve political suppression and submission ahead of the Edo election.
In the eight seconds video clip, Oshiomhole was heard saying “arrest, deal with and the whole thing will change”, while Gambari responded saying ” we will go beyond”. Though the Daily Times could not verify the authenticity of the video which has gone viral on social media.
Addressing the press Tuesday at the party’s national secretariat, Kola Ologbondiyan on behalf of the National Campaign council held that the presence and involvement of the Chief of Staff to the President and the fact that the discussion held within the precincts of the Presidential Villa, have made the Presidency complicit and place a huge burden on President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Already, there is anxiety in the public space that the discussion between Oshiomhole and Prof. Gambari as captured in the video is an extension of discussions that must have held behind closed doors in the Presidential villa.
“The video has validated earlier revelations of plots by Oshiomhole and the discredited APC governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to use compromised security operatives being mobilized by certain individuals in the Presidency, to arrest innocent Nigerians, including traditional, faith-based and community leaders on trumped up charges, ahead of the Edo election.
“It also confirms our stance that Adams Oshiomhole and the APC candidate have completely lost ground in Edo state, hence the plot to clamp down on the people.
“Nigerians and the people of Edo state now know those to hold responsible should there be cases of illegal arrests, assassinations and unexplained killings, sudden disappearances of prominent people, accidental discharge by federal security operatives and mysterious accidents in the course of this Edo governorship election”, he said.
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The PDP National Campaign Council on Edo governorship election, therefore charged President Buhari to reassure Nigerians by immediately ordering that Adams Oshiomhole and Prof. Gambari be pulled in for questioning over the video.
He insisted that “anything short of a decisive action on this matter will further indict the Buhari Presidency especially coming on the heels of public anxiety over Mr. President’s widely condemned comment on the use of security forces for elections”.
The council, however, wanted the APC and Oshiomhole to know that “their ignoble plots” against the people of Edo state have come to naught as the people are at alert and will use every legitimate means available to defend their already expressed will in support of the candidate of the PDP, Governor Obaseki in the election.
