The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election has called out the Buhari Presidency over the trending video purportedly showing former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari discussing the arrest of some unnamed individuals.
In a statement on Tuesday, the PDP stated that the discussion held at the Presidential Villa and was connected to the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.
In the 8-second video, Oshiomhole can be seen walking beside the president’s chief of staff along a hallway and saying “Arrest…deal with and the whole will change,” and Gambari can be responding “we will go beyond…”
In the statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said, “Nigerians were alarmed by the video in which Oshiomhole was seen 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.
“Our National Campaign holds 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.
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“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,” the statement read in part.
PDP added that the video further confirmed its stance 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.
“The PDP National Campaign Council on Edo governorship election charges President Buhari to reassure Nigerians by immediately ordering that Adams Oshiomhole and Prof. Gambari be pulled in for questioning over the video.
“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.
“Our campaign however wants 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 our party, the PDP, Governor Obaseki in this election,” PDP further stated.
The Herald could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.