Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria, has issued a strong demand to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to facilitate the release of detained leaders from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.
In a post shared on the X platform on Thursday, Atiku expressed his outrage over the arrests, labelling them as a serious violation of democratic principles, especially so close to the state’s governorship election.
He emphasized that employing federal resources against political rivals undermines the tenets of democracy.
The ex-PDP presidential candidate urged security agencies to either release the detained party members or formally charge them if there are valid reasons for their detention.
Atiku stated, “It is time for our security agencies to be held accountable.
“The arbitrary detention of local leaders from the @OfficialPDPNig just before an election is a severe blow to the ideals of peace and bipartisanship, effectively hindering the opposition’s ability to compete fairly.
“It is the responsibility of the Inspector General of Police and other prominent security leaders to promptly release all PDP members in custody, or, if there are substantial reasons, to bring them before the courts.
“The foundation of societal peace is threatened when state resources are misused to intimidate and harass political opponents.”
