Stop harassing our member in Baylsa say APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm over the arrest of its members in Bayelsa State, appealing to the presidency to stop the harassment of its members in the state.

Interim national publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement yesterday said the plan allegedly being pursued by the presidency is aimed at ensuring that the opposition does not gain a foothold in the home state of the president.

It said under the plan, leaders of the APC in Bayelsa, who have been building the party in the state, will be decimated through arrests, harassment and intimidation in order to scare away those keen to align with the APC in the state.
The party gave an example of Mr. Samuel Ogbuku, the former Chief of Staff to ex-Bayelsa governor, Timipre Sylva, whom they said has been arrested in connection with a murder that took place in 2010.
“Curiously, Mr. Ogbuku, who has been resident in the state and who has no immunity from arrest, is just now being picked up by the police over a murder that took place over three years ago.,” it stated.
“A democratically-elected president cannot and must not shut the democratic space against the opposition, whether in his home state where he is expected to show leadership by example or anywhere else across the federation. We are therefore calling on the presidency to stop the harassment and intimidation of our members in Bayelsa State,’’ APC said.
The party said the police in particular must not allow itself to be used to stifle democracy and deny Bayelsa citizens of their constitutional rights to associate freely, warning that any further harassment, intimidation and threat to the lives of its members in Bayelsa will not be tolerated.
It called on all lovers of democracy and freedom to prevail on the presidency not to constrict the democratic space in Bayelsa State under any guise, especially in the run up to 2015.