TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Nigeria police force of inviting chaos with the arrest of Ademola Adeleke, its candidate in the Osun governorship election.

The party said Adeleke’s arrest “over trumped-up charges” is to ensure Adeleke is not sworn in as the next governor, having been declared winner by the election tribunal.

The police detained Adeleke on Monday after the senator honoured an invitation extended to him in Abuja.

Frank Mba, the police spokesman, told TheCable he was detained over criminal investigations against him and would be arraigned in court on Tuesday.

Reacting via a statement, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, said Adeleke’s planned arraignment is over a case already being heard by the federal high court.

“This (the arrest) is highly provocative, an invitation to anarchy and recipe for a very serious crisis not only in Osun but also in the judiciary and our polity as a nation,” Ologbondiyan said.

“This is part of the grand plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to coerce Senator Adeleke to relinquish the mandate that was freely given to him by the people of Osun state, which was further established by the election petition tribunal.

“The plot is to drag Senator Adeleke before an ostensibly compromised magistrate court, over the same issues of alleged forged school testimonial that is already before the Federal High Court, with a view to using such corridor to secure a stampeded trial and hurried conviction, and put him out of circulation, over trump-up charges.

“The heinous calculation by the APC is to ensure that Senator Adeleke is not free to be sworn in as governor of Osun state as they know he will surely obtain justice and retrieve his stolen mandate at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

“The police arrested Senator Ademola on the guise of an invitation despite the direct orders of the Federal High Court, restraining it or its agents from arresting and detaining him on account of statement of result and testimonial duly issued by the Ede Muslim Grammar School, Ede, pending the determination of the originating summons pending in the court.”

The party demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the senator, explaining that the “demand is predicated on fears already in the public space that there are plots by certain elements to poison him in detention”.