The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm
over plans by one of the security agencies, apparently acting at the behest of
the Jonathan Administration, to harass and intimidate supposed sponsors of the
party, as part of ongoing efforts to cripple its activities in the run up to
the March 28th polls.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National
Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party however said the agency can only
target phantom financiers, since the APC is, in reality, being financed by
Nigerians, not some money bags.
”We made it clear early
on that our party, which has now
become a people-driven movement, is being bankrolled by ordinary Nigerians, who
have contributed generously to the party through the platforms that we
published in the newspapers for all to see.
”Though the federal government has used some national
institutions to stifle our party’s fund-raising efforts, Nigerians have
utilized the available platforms to make their donations. It is therefore a
futile exercise for anyone to harass some innocent people for supposedly
financing the APC,” it said.
The APC said security agencies should only serve national,
rather than partisan, interests, because while governments will always come and
go, Nigeria as a country will remain.
”The information at our disposal about the role of the
security agencies in the forthcoming elections is very disturbing, despite the
public opprobrium that has greeted the role played by the military in rigging
the 2014 Ekiti governorship election.
”For example, there is a plan for at least 500 security
agents to apply to work as ad hoc INEC staff so they can rig for the PDP, while
military and police uniforms are being sewn in a PDP-controlled state in the
South-west, with a view to making them available for PDP thugs to wear on election
day, so they can harass and intimidate the opposition
”There is also the disturbing case of four senior officers
of the State Security Service (SSS) who are being retained for some ignoble
role during the general elections, even though they are already due for
retirement. It is interesting that these officers, including three at the
states and one at the headquarters of the SSS, are all from the South-East and
the South-South, which the Jonathan-led administration considers its
stronghold.
”Equally disturbing is the fact that a section of the
security services has been making sensitive information available to certain
PDP members, including a loose-lipped state Governor, just to get at the
opposition. This is sad because Nigeria is bigger than any political party,”
the party said.
It therefore appealed to the security agencies to be
non-partisan, professional and patriotic in carrying out their duties before,
during and after the general elections.
”Put Nigeria first, don’t favour the PDP, don’t favour the
APC, don’t favour any party,” the APC told the security agencies.
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