· As PDP berates FG on tyrannical democracy
The new battle against corruption is getting deeper into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) domain. Accordingly, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, was, this Tuesday, arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for interrogation over t the $2.1 billion arms contracts which the EFCC traced N1.4 billion to the account of a company allegedly linked with Metuh.
Before the arrest on Tuesday, the PDP had, on Monday, berated the Federal Government controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) over what the party perceives as tyranny of democracy.
The Special Assistant to the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Richard Ihediwa, had on Monday raised alarm over a report on the Monday, January 4, 2016 edition of daily newspaper, that the National Publicity Secretary is under investigation by the EFCC.
It was stated that the EFCC never invited the National Publicity Secretary nor questioned him on any matter whatsoever since its inception. The PDP National Secretariat had protested that “only in a period of tyranny are people investigated on the pages of the newspapers as a prelude for abuse and violation of their freedom and rights under the law.”
“It is instructive to observe that a mere media campaign of calumny does not in any way whatsoever translate to any evidence of guilt. It is rather an evidence of infringement on the rights of the citizenry and manifestation of the reign of tyranny,” PDP had declared.
PDP further declared: “In a democratic and civilized country, where there are issues that require investigations by such agencies, invitations are duly extended. However, to read daily of people being investigated in select newspapers betrays plots to portray them as guilty of fraud and crime, and targeted to convey the PDP as a corrupt party and the APC as party of Nigerians without sin.”
The opposition party also decried: “If we now have a system where citizens get to be investigated, tried and executed by planting stories in select newspapers, wherein then lies the need for our judicial process.” They expressed that hope that all concerned will be guided by due process at all times.