Sowore: Atiku, PDP Twisting Facts To Rubbish Buhari, DSS – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of spreading concocted alternative facts and lies of the rearrest of Omoyele Sowore.

Naija News reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday night had released Sowore after spending 124 days in detention.

This was following a court ruling ordering DSS to release him in the next 24 hours.

However, the secret police on Friday morning re-arrested Sowore in the premises of the Federal High court, Abuja and reportedly took the activist to the DSS headquarters

Reacting, the PDP said the invasion confirmed that Nigeria, under the President Muhammadu Buhari, is sliding into a dictatorship.

“The invasion is in a forceful suspension of our constitutional order and a further battering of the judiciary, which points to emerging lawlessness that can only find space in a military regime,” the party said.

Also, Atiku Abubakar had called for an independent panel of inquiry to be constituted to identify and probe those who invaded the court and maltreated Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.

The former VP had said never in the history of Nigeria democracy has a judge been treated in such a disdainful and brazen attack on not just her person and office, but on the entire judiciary.

However, in a statement on Sunday, Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary, said the presidency has clarified that the DSS does not necessarily need Buhari’s permission in all cases to carry out its essential and constitutional responsibilities.

The APC said: “Whether Sowore flouted any of his bail conditions or staged the incident in court is another matter which the court and the prosecuting agency should address.

“Atiku, in his horrid statement particularly, accused the DSS of attacking the presiding judge among other lies being chorused by the PDP and their hirelings. Documentary evidence such as videos and pictures have shown that the tales are a complete ruse until anyone is able to present contrary evidence.

“If Atiku’s intervention was sincere, having realized the truth, he has not deemed it proper to apologise to Nigerians for misinforming them on the incident. Instead, he hangs shamelessly on his lies. A commentator has correctly described Atiku as “the king of the bandwagon”.

“The PDP and Atiku, in their dubious attempt at painting the APC government bad by all means, have chosen to exercise no restraint whatsoever in spreading falsehood. We would continue to reiterate the need for Nigerians to be wary of these people who are bent on bringing our country down.

“The APC, therefore, unequivocally rejects the inciting messages and criminal antics of some individuals and partisans who have embarked on a campaign of calumny against this administration and are calling for a forceful takeover of government. They are cowards and enemies of Nigeria.

“We call on Nigerians to look at the issue of Sowore’s arrest and subsequent trial dispassionately and devoid of the skewed narratives and sentiments being propagated by the likes of Atiku and PDP.

“Sowore contested and woefully lost the 2019 presidential election, garnering a meagre 33,953 votes compared to the winner, President Muhammadu Buhari, who polled over 15 million votes. He left the country afterwards and held talks, with pictures to prove, with another wanted secessionist. He returned to the country and openly threatened to lead a violent revolution against a democratically elected government.

“Our laws are clear on treason and Nigerians would expect decisive actions from our law enforcement agencies and government. Any attempt to truncate our democracy and threaten our collective peace and safety must and will be resisted using the full weight and instrumentalities of the law.”