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Tag: Lai Mohammed

  • APC promises to build one million houses annually

    The All Progressive Congress ‎has said it will build one million houses per annum if elected into power.

    The party also disclosed plans ‎to address 17 million housing deficit in the country.

    While the APC said it will review the ‎Land Use Act and provide infrastructures to realise the plan, the Peoples Democratic Party said it has commenced plans through mortgage to address the situation.

    The APC National Publicity ‎Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the PDP representative, Dr. Catchy Onanoju, spoke at the fourth edition of the Nigeria Political Parties Discussion (NPPD) inter-party debate organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) on Thursday Abuja.

    The topic of the debate was – “The Challenges of Housing, Water and Power Supply in Nigeria: What is the Master Plan?”

    Mohammed said, “We will use the Land use Act to reform land in a manner that will encourage all states to computerise their lands.

    “That’s why we said we will create a mortgage market that we can build one million houses per annum.”

    However, Onanoju stated that PDP has committed 50 million Euro bond to finance the mortgage.

    “We have also asked the relevant government ‎agencies, especially the Nigeria Mortgage Refinancing Company (NMRC) take active hold of the money.

    “We have already partnered 18 states to provide affordable housing from rent to own approach,” he stated.

    On water, the PDP representative said Federal Government has provided enough water for power and agriculture through dry season farming and sanitation‎.

    He said over 200 dams have been built so far without any form of taxation on the people.

     

  • APC likens National Assembly invasion to coup

    APC likens National Assembly invasion to coup

    •Urges enquiry

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the police invasion of the National Assembly last week was the equivalent of a coup.

    It urged an independent enquiry to determine who ordered the invasion and for what purpose, to prevent a recurrence.

    The party also said punishment should be meted out to culprits.

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said using weapons to attack an arm of the government and preventing it from carrying out its functions were tantamount to a coup, adding that the tear gas fired into the National Assembly by policemen was a chemical weapon.

    ‘’We are demanding an independent enquiry in view of the seriousness of the armed attack on the National Assembly and the danger it poses to our democracy. We are also alerting the international community to the happenings in Nigeria and urging them to show interest because of their investment in the country’s democracy,’’ it said.

    APC said the denial by the Presidency of its involvement in the senseless attack was not enough to stop the finger-pointing at it (Presidency), especially because no one, not even the Inspector-General of Police, would have the temerity to stop the nation’s number four citizen from entering the National Assembly without an order from the President.

    ‘’This is why we have continuously held the President responsible for last week’s show of shame,’’ the party said, noting that the IG was just a tool in the hands of a President that had perhaps done more than any other President before him to truncate democracy.

    ‘’We make bold to say that President Goodluck Jonathan has worked assiduously to put Nigeria’s democracy in jeopardy, whether in Rivers where he backed a misguided police commissioner to usurp the constitutional duties of an elected governor, or in Ekiti State where he has so far refused to condemn the so-called impeachment of the Speaker by seven PDP members in a 26-member House of Assembly.

    ‘’Also, besides the half-hearted and belated denial, the President has not condemned the attack on the National Assembly by the police. A President that is conversant with the dictates of the constitution, which he swore an oath to protect, would have gone ahead to make a national broadcast to condemn the police invasion of the Assembly and even promised to get to the root of the matter. Instead, our President has maintained an undignified silence in the face of the global outcry that has greeted the orchestrated police action,’’ it said.

    APC advised President Jonathan to stop behaving as if he wanted to be the last President of a united Nigeria and to stop actions inimical to the survival of democracy.

    The party congratulated lawmakers, especially those who scaled the high gates of the National Assembly, for the sacrifices they made to defend democracy.

    It said the legislators, by their action, risked their lives for the survival of democracy, hence they were heroes.

    ‘’The lawmakers, who united across party lines last week to restore the integrity of the House of Representatives and prevent an attempt to truncate our democracy, are heroes, because if they had not done what they did, no one could have imagined the consequences of the orchestrated police action against the National Assembly.

    ‘’The senators, who stormed the House in sympathy and solidarity with their colleagues, including Senate President David Mark, should also be hailed for resisting tyranny and confronting anti-democratic forces,’’ APC said.

     

  • Jonathan’s declaration insensitive – APC

    Jonathan’s declaration insensitive – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) said Tuesday that President Goodluck Jonathan was insensitive to the plight of Nigerians who are daily falling victims of Boko Haram attacks.

    They accused him of dancing on the graves of Boko Haram victims.

    In a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja, the party said the decision of the President to declare his second term bid a day after about 50 students were killed in a suicide attack in Potiskum, Yobe State, was callous.

    The statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said it was unfortunate that the President chose to celebrate a national tragedy, saying that “since this President has opted to celebrate a national tragedy, Nigerians should also be ready to celebrate his electoral failure next year.”

    The party said: “Today, the three Northeast states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe are in danger of being overrun by Boko Haram and over 650,000 Nigerians are internally displaced in those states by the insurgency. Yet, President Jonathan says he puts Nigerians first. Lies have never worn a bolder face. The truth is that for President Jonathan, it is Jonathan first, Jonathan second, Jonathan third, Jonathan always.”

    According to the party, with the latest act of blatant hardheartedness, President Jonathan is only continuing along his well-trodden path of acting without deep introspection.

    It added: “When about 60 students were killed in the terror attack on the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, in February 2014, President Jonathan never visited the scene to commiserate with the families of the victims. When over 80 people were killed in the first Nyanya bombing in April 2014, President Jonathan went dancing ‘Azonto’ in Kano less than 48 hours later. And when almost 300 girls were freshly abducted in Chibok, President Jonathan neither acted fast enough to rescue the girls nor visited the village. His administration even denied anyone was abducted, until 19 days after!

    “This President has therefore established a pattern of putting his political interest above the security and welfare of Nigerians who voted him into office. This President has trampled upon the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which makes the security and welfare of the citizenry the raison d’etre of the government’s existence. It is time for Nigerians to respond in kind by trampling on his political ambition and sending him back to Otuoke.”

     

  • Hold Dokubo liable if anything happens to Lai Mohammed – APC

    Hold Dokubo liable if anything happens to Lai Mohammed – APC

    The All Progressive Congress said Tuesday that it will hold the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Mr. Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, responsible for any mishap that may befall its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    In a letter to the Presidency, the Police and the State Security Service over the recent threat of violence by Mujahid Asari Dokubo against Mohammed, the party asked the government and the security agents to call the ex-militant to order.

    The letter signed by the National Secretary of the party and made available to journalists in Abuja, said in view of the antecedents of Asari Dokubo and his propensity to violence, the party will hold him personally responsible if anything untoward happens to Mohammed.

    The letter reads: “The attention of our party has been drawn to comments made by the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Mr. Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, that included a threat of violence against our National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    “The threat, contained in an interview granted to the online newspaper Premium Times by Mr. Asari Dokubo on Friday, Oct. 17th 2014, follows a press statement which was issued on behalf of the party by Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Oct. 8th 2014, asking the Federal Government to explain the reported presence of Mr. Asari Dokubo on the plane that transported US$9.3 million cash to South Africa.

    “In the interview, Mr. Asari Dokubo said while he would adopt a ”civilised response to Mr. Mohammed by first suing the APC spokesperson for his remarks”, he (Asari Dokubo) warned that should the courts fail to deliver justice, ‘he will resort to self-help by using his hands and any other means to deal with Mr. Mohammed.

    “We find this threat totally abhorring, dangerous, unacceptable and uncivilized, and therefore wish to request that you call Mr. Asari Dokubo to order and invite him to explain what he means by his threat to resort to self help. We have attached a copy of the said interview to this petition.

    “We take the unwarranted threat very seriously, in view of the antecedents of Mr. Asari Dokubo and his propensity to violence, and will definitely hold him personally responsible if anything untoward happens to our National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    “Since ours is a country that operates under the rule of law rather than the laws of the jungle, we believe anyone who is aggrieved over any issue should resort to the courts to seek redress.”

     

  • APC: attack on Edo lawmakers worsens impunity under Jonathan

    APC: attack on Edo lawmakers worsens impunity under Jonathan

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned what it called the “apparently-orchestrated attack” on Edo State legislative quarters last Saturday.

    The party said the attack raised the level of impunity under the Goodluck Jonathan administration to a level not even contemplated in the days of military rule.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party noted that based on the ease with which thugs invaded a facility that should be well secured and the ample time they had to damage over 30 cars and injure lawmakers and their families, “there is no question that the attack was carried out with the collusion of the lawless Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the increasingly-partisan police.

    “Governor Adams Oshiomhole said the government got intelligence report on the attack and informed the State Police Commissioner. Instead of sending in reinforcement to prevent the attack, the few policemen attached to the quarters were withdrawn before the attack. This is another indication of a police force that is being bankrolled by taxpayers becoming shamelessly partisan and engaging in selective implementation of its constitutional role of protecting the life and property of the citizenry,” it said.

    APC stressed that the atmosphere for the attack was created by a President, whose body language encourages impunity; a president, who has converted the police and the army to his party’s militia; a President who presides over a government that is incapable of maintaining law and order, let alone protecting the citizens.

    The party said whether it was in Rivers State, where the police allegedly harassed the opposition, including the governor; Ekiti State, where the police stood by while thugs, led by a governor-elect Ayodele Fayose, were beating up judges and sacking courts; the same Ekiti, where the PDP-led Federal Government used the police and other security agents to prevent courts from re-opening, as ordered by the National Judicial Council (NJC); or in Edo State, where the police protected renegade lawmakers at the expense of the majority, the Jonathan administration has given a free rein to impunity as never before in the history of Nigeria.

    It added: “The inspector-general of police (IGP) takes orders only from the President. Therefore, where the President decides to turn the police into his personal militia for vindictive and vendetta attacks, the IGP is not only required to comply, he is also expected to pass the same orders down the hierarchy. This is what is happening across the country.

    “The danger, however, is that when a society descends into anarchy, the same police will not escape the consequences, and will also not be able to handle the outcome of their collusion, as professionalism would have deserted them and discipline compromised. By becoming partisan, the police force is destroying itself.”

    APC said the attack on the Edo State legislative quarters on Saturday would have been prevented, if the PDP thugs, who molested Governor Oshiomhole and top officials of his administration – when they went to the airport to receive President Jonathan a few days earlier – had been censured for their barbaric action.

    “By failing to sanction them, the powers that be-have simply given a seal of approval to their actions and empowered them to do more, hence they became emboldened to attack the legislative quarters,” the party said.

    It reminded President Jonathan that attacks as the one in Edo, which the conniving police apparently allowed to happen, form part of the reasons some foreign governments, concerned about the way the Nigerian security agencies have used the weapons supplied to them to violate the human rights of citizens, have refused to sell arms to Nigeria.

    APC said: “Which human rights violation could be more egregious than the police-sanctioned attacks on defenceless citizens in Edo State on Saturday?”

    The party urged the international community to pay a close attention to the impunity in Nigeria, especially ahead of next year’s general elections.

    “It can only be imagined what role the police and other security agencies, which have been heavily compromised, will play during the elections. It is, therefore, imperative for the international observers, who will be coming for the elections, to take this into consideration in their report on the processes before, during and after the elections,” it said.

    APC warned those engaging in impunity today, just because they are in power, to realise that they would not be in power forever.

    The party added that one day they would account for their misdeeds.

     

  • Illegal campaign: APC slams INEC for acting too late

    Illegal campaign: APC slams INEC for acting too late

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for “acting too little, too late” in issuing a warning on illegal public political broadcast and campaign.

    It said INEC’s belated action was suspicious.

    In a statement in London, United Kingdom, yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said INEC’s action, coming after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and President Goodluck Jonathan have been campaigning, can only be to the disadvantage of other candidates and parties.

    ‘’Is it a ploy by INEC to give undue advantage to the PDP and its adopted sole presidential candidate, President Jonathan, in next year’s elections?’’

    APC wondered where INEC was when the so-called Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) was organising “noisy rallies” across the country, attended by government officials and designed to benefit the President and his party.

    The party also expressed shock that INEC has been slumbering since the so-called Protectors of Nigeria’s Posterity has been running TV adverts solely for Jonathan’s benefit.

    ‘’When did INEC become aware that these actions are illegal, considering that Section 221 of the 1999 Constitution, which INEC quoted in its warning letter, says ‘no association, other than a political party, shall canvas for votes for any candidate at any election or contribute to the funds of any political party or to the election expenses of any political candidate at an election’.

    “What TAN has been doing all along is to canvas for votes for Jonathan, in a clear violation of the constitution as well as the Electoral Act, which bans political campaigns until 90 days before election.

    ‘’Our party, joined by well-meaning Nigerians, had publicly alerted INEC to these campaigns and the fact that those behind them are breaking the law, but INEC merely responded with some unbelievable sophistry.

    “Now that those illegal campaigns have run for several months, INEC suddenly awoke from its slumber to issue a warning on illegal campaign.

    ‘’This is unbecoming of an election umpire that expects to be taken seriously, an umpire that is expected not only to be fair but to be seen as such, and one that knows its onions. This caution by INEC is coming too little, too late,’’ APC said.

  • ‘Endorsement of Jonathan is endorsement of corruption’

    ‘Endorsement of Jonathan is endorsement of corruption’

    The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to probe its erring governors for endorsing President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 election is an endorsement of corruption by the ruling party.

    Addressing reporters yesterday at a rally to welcome members of the PDP who decamped to the APC at Ijora Badia in Lagos, the APC spokesman said the condition given by the governors was a challenge on the collective will of the people.

    He said: “The governors gave President Jonathan a condition that the EFCC and ICPC should not go after them. This is a dangerous sign for the country. It shows that a continuation of the PDP government beyond 2015 will incapacitate the economy which is currently at its lowest ebb.”

    While promising that the APC will give Nigeria a credible leadership that will transform the country in all sectors, the APC chieftain also commended the party’s elected governors for strictly adhering to the manifesto of the party which is basically the people’s welfare.

    He said: “The APC boasts nationwide support and our governors’ performance is excellent. The fact that people of Nigeria want a change is the reason why our party is waxing stronger and we will form the next government in 2015.

    “The endorsement of Jonathan is the endorsement of corruption. The conditions attached to the endorsement that all the governors will have immunity outside office from being probed even when they are found wanting is a sad note for Nigeria,” he stated.  Also speaking, APC chairman in Lagos State, Otunba Dele Ajomale, urged the new members to feel at home and work for the progress of the party.

  • More work ahead for APC, says Mohammed

    More work ahead for APC, says Mohammed

    •34 state publicity secretaries meet in Lagos

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed yesterday urged publicity secretaries across the 36 states to intensify the projection of the party as a viable alternative to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said the PDP has failed in the last 15 years, advising them to bring its shortcomings to the front burner, ahead of next year’s elections.

    Describing next year’s poll as a critical event, he said the APC cannot afford to disappoint Nigerians because the country is yearning for a change.

    Mohammed spoke in Lagos at the maiden meeting of 36 APC publicity secretaries, hosted by the Lagos State APC Publicity Secretary, Comrade Joe Igbokwe. He was represented by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Lateef Raji.  The opening ceremony was witnessed by Lagos APC Chairman Otunba Oladele Ajomale and secretary, Prince Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni.

    Mohammed said: “There are more challenges for the APC, as the country prepares for elections, particularly in those states controlled by the PDP. What is required is courage and determination. Nigerians are yearning for a change and they see the APC as the alternative. So, we cannot afford to disappoint the country.”

    Ajomale hailed the contributions of the publicity secretaries to the building of the party’s image, urging them to sustain the tempo ahead of next year elections. He observed that the task of opposition spokesmen would be more challenging in PDP-controlled states, advising the secvretaries to gird their loins.

    Ajomade added: “What I can say is that you should emulate Lai Mohammed. I salute the courage of everyone, especially those in the PDP-controlled states. In Lagos State, I salute Joe Igbokwe. Across the federation, I urge you to get ready. You should be ready to make sacrifices.

    “From 1999 till date, Nigeria has not been moving forward. It has been moving backward. They lied that the economy was improving. The economy of advanced countries is going down, but despite that they say the Nigerian economy is booming. I urge you to expose their atrocities across the states. I urge you to continue to defend the APC. Next year is the year of change and that change is inevitable. You must make the change happen.”

    Igbokwe urged his colleagues to expose the evil of bad governance, saying  the PDP is the symbol of decadence. He said the PDP is using the misappropriated wealth of Nigeria to build a culture of stomach infrastructure.

    He added: “The PDP is a corrupt government. The task ahead is to continue to expose its evil by building a synergy among ourselves and ensure there is legitimate power shift next year.”

     

  • DSS on a sad familiar terrain

    DSS on a sad familiar terrain

    The tragedy of state apparatus in Nigeria is usually that of blind loyalty to the proverbial piper that dictates the tune. The recent altercation between the spokesperson of the Department of State Security, DSS, Marilyn Ogar and that of the opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed provides a sad commentary on what a government agency should not turn itself into.

    It’s so sad that history beacons on us concerning state agencies like the police, the armed forces, customs, immigrations as well as, of course, and particularly, the Department of State Services.

    Nigerian Security Organization (NSO) was the security and intelligence service of the Nigerian government in those days (1976-1983), set up shortly, in response to, and after the unfortunate assassination of the charismatic military leader, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed.

    NSO was given a mandate of coordinating both domestic and foreign intelligence. Under the military regime and continuing through the Second Republic, the NSO was accused of carrying out systematic and widespread human rights abuses, especially of those seen to be critical of the government. Of these, repressions against journalists, opposition figures, government officials and the 25-month imprisonment of late musician Fela Ransome-Kuti, are especially remembered.

    After handing over power by the military to a civilian government in 1979, the Umaru Shinkafi-led NSO had the difficult task of transforming from a military-era secret police organisation to one which respected the constitution. Although there was a reduction in the number of human rights abuses committed by the NSO, during the Second Republic, their overall human rights record still remained poor. Political parties and opposition groups complained of harassment by NSO, particularly the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo – a keen rival of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

    President Shehu Shagari later nominated Lawal Rafindadi to head the agency. His tenure as the Director General of the NSO was plagued by arbitrary arrests and detentions of anybody suspected of being a threat to the regime, imagined or real. This attitude crept down the ranks of the NSO and led to heavy handedness among some of the agency’s operatives. A good example is the case of Brigadier Abbas Wali, a former defence attaché to the UK and Adjutant-General of the Nigerian Army arrested in Kano by an operative named Bishara and detained at the NSO office for a week without anyone knowing about the arrest – including Rafindadi, the DG and his deputy, Albert Horsfall.

    Also, under Rafindadi, the agency began a wire tapping and eavesdropping programme against government officials and military officials including Supreme Military Council (SMC) members. Rafindadi also used his position as member of the SMC to initiate a purge of senior officers in the diplomatic service many of whom lost their jobs and entitlements.

    The establishment mission of the SSS is to protect and defend the Federal Republic of Nigeria against domestic threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of Nigeria, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to both federal and state law-enforcement organs. The SSS is also charged with the protection of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, state governors, their immediate families, other high ranking government officials, past presidents and their spouses, certain candidates for the offices of President and Vice President, and visiting foreign heads of state and government. The SSS has constantly adapted to various roles necessitated by evolving security threats in Nigeria including counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency.

    The SSS has been criticised for allowing Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, the “underpants bomber”, to board Northwest airlines flight from Lagos despite his father having previously warned security officials of his son’s radical views on America. The agency was also criticized heavily in the wake of the August 26, 2011 United Nations House bombing in Abuja. The Nigerian public grew even more critical of the agency after newspapers ran stories in which they claimed that the agency had received intelligence about the bombing beforehand from the Americans.

    Indeed, the Nigerian press ran stories early November 2011, alleging that the United States government had issued a travel advisory on Nigeria. The travel advisory included the threat of bomb attacks at major hotels in Abuja frequented by expatriates. The story generated panic among the populace and accusations of incompetence made against the security agencies, the SSS inclusive.

    The SSS has a long history of repressing the political activities of opposition groups. Public meetings are arbitrarily canceled or prevented, including cultural events, academic conferences, and human rights meetings. September 25, 1997, police and SSS agents broke up a Human Rights Africa (HRA) seminar for students in Jos, arrested then HARA director Tunji Abayomi and four others, and briefly detained some 70 students. Abayomi and the others were held for 10 days and then released on bail. A workshop on conflict management in Port Harcourt on May 1, 1998 was canceled when the SSS warned local coordinators that such a meeting could not be held on Workers Day, a local holiday. Similar workshops elsewhere proceeded unimpeded despite the holiday.

    So, when a long convoy of DSS operatives arrived in Osogbo, Osun State, weeks prior to the governorship election in the state, not many following the historical atrocities of the agency were amused. If an organisation, serviced through taxpayers money could easily turn against such people, then, something may be wrong somewhere.

    Alhaji Lai Mohammed is certainly not the type to be accused of loitering especially on the eve of an election involving a party in which he is a national officer. If an incumbent state governor, in the person of Rauf Aregbesola, a contestant is holed up in his residence by this same organization; if Mohammed could be blindly arrested and detained; if hooded operatives could harass and arrest citizens randomly and members of a political party singled out for arrest and harassment on the eve of an election; if a spokesperson of DSS could gleefully allege on national television, that a political party is the sole sponsor of insurgency and bombings in the land, without any credible evidence to support; if the same image maker is alleging bribery of her men without concrete evidence; if a security agency is supporting a faction of labour union against another instead of being impartial; if our own equivalent of Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, chooses to strangely come out in the open to announce its presence and through intimidation of innocent voters and opposing parties, then a lot has certainly gone wrong.

    In the 80’s when yours truly was a young NSO operative in the old Oyo State, being seen as such was like breaking a taboo. Your pride and strength resided in being anonymous. But today, the bravado of our intelligence agency operatives calls for utter concern.  Just like the defunct NSO, it is just a matter of time for the proverbial chicken to come home to roost.

    • Akinola is a social commentator

     

  • APC decries plan to arrest chair in Borno

    APC decries plan to arrest chair in Borno

    •Urges DSS to shun partisanship

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has decried the plan by the Department of State Service (DSS), acting at the behest of some politicians, to arrest its chairman in Borno State, Ali Abubakar Dalori, on trumped-up charges.

    The party said it is capable of precipitating crisis in an already-volatile environment.

    In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said the situation in Borno is already very dire, hence no one should add fuel to a raging fire simply because of scorched-earth politics.

    It warned the DSS to resist the growing temptation to dabble into politics, even while it is becoming glaring that the agency is being compromised under the present political dispensation.

    “The careless and clearly partisan statements being made by DSS spokesperson Marilyn Ogar have shown discerning Nigerians the direction in which the agency is leaning. However, it must still exercise caution in order not to spark a needless crisis in Borno.

    “We have it on good authority that with the recent movement of Ali Modu Sheriff to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), attempts are being made to destabilise the APC in Borno, using agencies of the state like the DSS. The take-off point is the arrest of our chairman in the state on trumped-up charges.

    “Let those seeking to trigger a crisis in Borno know that the indigenes are resolute in their determination to ensure a level-playing field in the run-up to the 2015 elections. It is curious that the DSS has suddenly unearthed supposed offences committed by Dalori to warrant his arrest, now that Sheriff has defected to the PDP.

    “We are compelled to warn the DSS that as an organ of state, it cannot afford to be partisan. An agency being sustained by the taxpayers cannot turn around to hunt the same taxpayers. An agency that is supposed to protect Nigerians cannot be the same agency being used to witch-hunt the opposition.

    “Unless the DSS turns a new leaf and stops making itself a tool in the hands of politicians, the agency will ridicule itself and weaken its capacity to function effectively,” APC said.

    The party urged the DSS and other security agencies to concentrate their efforts on arresting the daily carnage being perpetrated in Borno and other states by Boko Haram, instead of allowing those who helped to precipitate the carnage in the first instance to further destabilise the state.