The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday raised the alarm that the Federal Government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have sent a red alert to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest one of its national leaders, Bola Tinubu.
The party alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was bent on decimating the major opposition party in order to gain what it called an undue advantage in the March 28 and April 11 general elections.
“Without mincing words, we are aware that a red alert has been sent to the EFCC to arrest the national leader of our party, the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on trumped-up charges anytime from now. In addition, anyone who is suspected of being a financier of the APC is to be arrested, all in efforts to decapitate the main opposition party which is undoubtedly cruising to victory in the forthcoming elections.
“And as part of the offensive against the APC in the days ahead, there is a plan to freeze the accounts of companies, individuals and organisations believed to be financing the party, with the ultimate objective of crippling the party so it won’t be able to sustain its activities, like paying its agents on Election Day and other logistics,” a statement issued on Saturday by the party said.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Lai Mohammed, who spoke in Lagos at a press conference on Saturday said that the planned arrest of Tinubu and other APC financiers was a fallout of Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido’s statement that all that needs to be done to break the opposition party is to “kidnap” two of its leaders.
Mohammed said, “Definitely, the current move to arrest Asiwaju and anyone they suspect to be a financier of our party fits into the alarm we raised and the open threat by Gov. Lamido. How predictable can a government be? It is clear that the momentum has swung to the side of our party, with just a little over a week before the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“It is clear that Nigerians have rejected the PDP and have embraced our party, the APC, as the agent of the change that they (Nigerians) so much desire. That explains the desperation being exhibited by the PDP-led Jonathan administration to arrest Asiwaju, whom they see as the arrowhead of the opposition, believing that this will cripple our party and stop the momentum we have gained.”
In his reaction, the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode said, “We have said it before and we shall say it again: the APC are not only delusional but they are suffering from chronic paranoia. Why should Tinubu be scared of arrest if he has done nothing wrong. Why should Buhari be scared of EFCC if he is clean? They should stop raising all these false alarms and they should just grow up.”
Our correspondent could not get the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, to comment on the allegation as the calls to his mobile telephone line did not connect.
He also did not respond to text message sent by SUNDAY PUNCH.
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