PDP alleges the government is building new prisons in preparation for a planned clampdown on opposition members in 2018

PDP chairman, Uche Secondus has accused the Buhari-led federal government of plans to imprison its members in a massive intimidation campaign come 2018. He also alleged that new prisons are being built to this end. Secondus made the allegations at the opening of a two-day retreat for members of the newly elected National Working Committee of the party.

He said,

“We learnt that they are building more prisons. Let them go ahead and build more. They will be the one to stay there. We learnt that they are coming after our members in January.  Let them continue.  How many people will they put in jail? They should stop intimidating people. They should remember that almost everybody they had put in jail wrongly came back to become President. This is because they were jailed unjustifiably.  So, if they are persecuting us, let them continue. But we will not withdraw the ultimatum we gave them to quit Aso Rock in 2019.”

Secondus also countered the claim that PDP can't fight corruption, he pointed to former president Olusegun Obasanjo who he said established anti corruption bodies and prosecuted corrupt elements regardless of party affiliations. He claimed that by contrast, APC members are immune from the government's anti corruption campaign. He said:

“We stabilised the structure to fight corruption. Obasanjo, a PDP President, started the fight against corruption. He fought our members. But unlike now, no matter how corrupt you are, if you don’t want to be arrested, just defect to the APC.

" The newly elected party chairman called on the APC to focus on delivering campaign promises rather than intimidate members of the opposition. He said: “APC should stop intimidating our leaders. We will no longer take it; enough is enough. They don’t need to attack us; they should fulfil what they promised us. Enough of this; we are not in a military era. What I am telling them is that God is not sleeping. When the time comes, the people will speak through their votes. We handed over freely in 2015 and they should be prepared to hand over to us. No amount of intimidation will distract Nigerians.”

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