By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned against the planned arrest of its National Secretary and former Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola ahead of the next Saturday’s governorship election in the State.
The party, in a statement late yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi stated that it has received credible information that plans are afoot to arrest Aregbesola before the Saturday’s election.
The leading opposition party pointed out that given the pattern of intimidation, harassment and alleged misuse of state institutions that has increasingly characterised the conduct of thr present government towards the opposition, it cannot afford to dismiss the reports of the likely arrest of its National Secretary.
The statement by Abdullahi reads, “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has received credible reports of plans to arrest our National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in the days leading to Saturday’s Osun State election.
“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.
“Ogbeni Aregbesola is a former Governor of Osun State, a former Minister of the Federal Republic and the National Secretary of the opposition political party. If any security agency has a lawful reason to invite him, there are established procedures for doing so.
“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”, it declared.
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