National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has said the party will seek judicial assistance to end acts of intimidation and harassment against members of the party in Zamfara state.
The APC Chairman said members of the party must be allowed to operate freely without any form of harassment and intimidations from the PDP government in Zamfara state or any other state where they don’t have governors.
Oshiomhole spoke when the Zamfara state chapter of the party submitted a petition to him accusing the state government of forcing its members, especially elected local government Chairman and Councilors to join the PDP.
Oshiomhole said the consciously choose to practice multi-party democracy, adding that in a multi-party democracy, everybody must be allowed to exercise their freedom of association.
APC in Zamfara state has accused the PDP led government in the state of intimidation and harassment and trying to break their fighting spirit by forcing its members to decamp, while threatening those who refused to do so.
The Zamfara APC also said some of its members are currently in detention while many have been penciled down for arrest and detention for refusing to join the PDP.
Oshiomhole said given the circumstances surrounding the current situation in which the Supreme Court awarded “our mandate to another party, many would be discouraged, demoralised or continued to wallow in self-pity and trying to find answered to questions and this answers will not count”.
He said further that “In life, the downfall of a man is not the end of his life. I believe that our party in Zamfara state would be rebuilt and I’m happy you are rebuilding it.
“I have taken note of your pain, particularly in respect to those of our brothers and sisters who, from your report are being oppressed or even sent to jail under circumstances that are also questionable. I assure you we will take step to intervene and see what we can do at the level of judicial intervention.
“I believe Nigeria consciously settled for multi-party democracy. We could have chosen to have a one party state. So, once you have a multi-party democracy, the ruling party must respect the right of the opposition party. You can be the ruling party today and tomorrow you become the opposition party.
“The rules of engagement must allowed everyone, regardless of his political party affiliation, to express himself, to associate freely and to enjoy the freedom of speech and movement
“For me, these are universal values that are shared by all democrats around the world. I am happy however that in spite of this repression and misuse of the law enforcement agents to arraign and detain people unjustly that your spirit has not been detained.
“I am one man who believes that you can jail my flesh, but you cannot jail my fighting spirit. Once I am committed to a course, I will fight it to conclusion.
“So, I want to thank you for maintaining the peace because started doing protest particularly in Abuja and in Imo. I particularly give the example of Zamfara state.
“If we have decided to move our supporters on the street, it would have been impossible for anybody to come out in Zamfara. That capacity to protest exists but because we are a ruling party, we do not make protest our business.
“So, I assure you, the party will stand by you across our 36 stated and in particular in states where we don’t have governors. We know what our leaders and members are going through in those states.
“We are already having conversation in our party. What is happening in Zamfara is also happening in some states even in the south. Somebody published a story in the South-south and he was sent to jail because the governor there is PDP.
“Ironically, I am not aware that there is anybody who is in prison in States governed by APC on account of his political opinion. But we will follow through these issues, and I want to thank you for remaining strong and maintaining the party in Zamfara state. The NEC will stand by you.”
Immediate past governor of the state, Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar said they have been used to politics of intimidation and harassment in the state since 2010, but stressed the opposition in the state is presently more organised and capable of winning election any day.
He blame those he said does not mean well for the party for the present situation the party find itself, saying “we have been used to the intimidation and harassment in Zamfara state since 2010 when the state government was PDP, same with the federal government and the entire national Assembly.
“But we are more organised now have the leader of the party and the government at the centre. What we are looking for is support from here. I can say that let them put out ballot boxes tomorrow in Zamfara and see how APC will be declared because the state has never been under PDP since 1999.
“We are hearing some rumours which is deceit and those spreading this are along those who don’t wish the party well. They are saying the governor is going to decamp and so, let them join in in PDP.
“The same people that misled us during the 2019 election that led us to where we are right now. They are doing the something now and anybody who cares to listen to them is a PDP agent.
“Mr. Chairman, a person who took you to court, dislodged all your gains and right now has a commissioner in the PDP government is still calling himself an APC member.”

By Tony Akowe