Ahead of the governorship election in Osun, the African Democratic Congress on Wednesday raised the alarm alleging a plot to arrest its National Secretary Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
Bolaji Abdullaji, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, said the party has received what he called “credible reports” of plans to arrest the former Osun state governor.
NPO Reports that Aregbesola is leading the campaigns of the party’s candidate in Osun for the Saturday’s governorship election, Najeem Salam.
” Given the pattern of intimidation, harassment and misuse of state institutions that has increasingly characterised the conduct of this government towards the opposition, we cannot afford to dismiss these reports,” Abdulahi said in his statement made available to the NPO Reports Wednesday evening.
He said should any security agency have a lawful reason to invite Aregbesola, “there are established procedures for doing so.”
He went further, “An arrest on the eve of an election in which his party is participating would invite only one reasonable conclusion: that the purpose is to prevent him from leading and coordinating the party’s election activities.
“We therefore put the Federal Government and the security agencies on notice. The eyes of Nigerians are on Osun. Whatever happens before, during and after Saturday’s election will be judged not by the explanations offered afterwards, but by the actions taken now.
“The APC Federal Government must be wary of doing anything that could plunge Osun State into needless crisis. Nigeria is still a democracy, and the government would do well to remember that before Saturday>’
Just on Wednesday, Aregbesola said he had led his party to campaign through the nooks and crannies of Osogbo, the state capital in what is considered the final phase of the campaigns before the Saturday election.