Date Published: 12/13/09

 Press Statement for Immediate Release

OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE ARREST OF LEADER AND FOUNDER OF DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES PARTY, DPP  

THE ARREST OF ALH. ATTAHIRU BAFARAWA AND MANY LIES OF EFCC

We notice with concern the increasing wave of harassment, intimidation and arbitrary arrest and blackmailed against Chieftains and members of opposition in Nigeria by various law enforcement and anti-graft agencies of government. The target of the ruling government has been on those performing individual for the purpose of dissuading them from speaking against the evil rule in Nigeria. International warrant has been issued against Nuhu Ribadu, a former EFCC chairman and world acclaimed anti-graft czar who fought corruption in Nigeria with vigor and candor.  Mallam Nassir El-Rufai, one the best performing minister of FCT in the history of Nigeria has been maliciously accused of corruption because of his pro-democracy activities.

The latest victim of this unwarranted offensive is the DPP Presidential candidate in the 2007 general election and the immediate past Governor of Sokoto State and the only Governor that left 10billion naira in the account of Sokoto State after performing as best Governor in Sokoto State for eight years. Alh. Bafarawa, (Garkuwan Sokoto) was arrested at the meeting of opposition in Sheraton Hotel, Abuja on December 9, 2009 and has since then, been held incommunicado without formal charges by his oppressor.

We wish to state clearly that the current persecution of Alh. Bafarawa by the EFCC and his perpetual incarceration without charges is nothing but political propaganda and arbitrary use of the instrument of coercion by the PDP ruling government to silence all the voices of opposition in Nigeria. The basis of his recent arrest is simply to destabilize, disorganized and ruin the idea of mega party coalition of which the PDP ruling government realized the potential of Bafarawa as strong factor in the alliance of the trio of General Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

The declaration from the EFCC that Bafarawa mismanaged 15 billion is a false allegation and a sponsored propaganda by the ineffective, corrupt and confused PDP ruling government to distract and divert the attention of entire Nigerian from burning national issues that botheres on the current health predicament of President Musa Ya’adua. Instead of being sober, PDP, INEC and EFCC have been instigating violence, terror and indiscriminate arrest of opposition members who they perceive as threat to their government and planned second imposition in 2010

The false declaration of the EFCC that Bafarawa misappropriated the sum of 15billion naira is a cheap blackmail and attempt by the ruling government to impeach his credibility in order to portray him as a corrupt leader and pull him down by tarnishing his image among his ever growing teaming supporters in Nigeria and all over the world. The same tactics was adopted against former Vice-President Atiku in 2007 general election. We also learnt on good authority that their next target is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, an irrepressible and “enfant terrible” former Governor of Lagos State. Asiwaju has been threatening severally by the EFCC each time he made comment on the issue of national concern.

The latest fabrication of the EFCC is nothing new to us because of the past antecedent of the agency and its consistent campaign of calumny against Bafarawa in the past. It should be recalled that the same tactics was used to destabilize DPP prior the fraudulent gubernatorial election of April 14, 2007 where EFCC invaded Alh. Bafarawa’s house as a sitting Governor on the pretext that they were looking for the DPP chairman Alh. Umaru Kobo.  Also, prior to the re-run of Sokoto election in 2008, the EFFC invited Bafarawa on May 6, 2008 under the cause of investigating him and his tenure ship as Sokoto State Governor 1999-2007 based on some spurious petitions.

On behalf of Dr. Attahiru Bafarawa, the founder and leader of Democratic Peoples Party, (DPP) and Bafarawa Initiative for Nigeria, (BIN) Project, we wish to assert unequivocally that the reason for his current arrest and harassment is purely political and an orchestrated propaganda to whittle down his influence in the ongoing liberation struggle in Nigeria.

We want to further assert that no amount of intimidation, coercion and blackmail can stop the Nigerian people from speaking out against bad governance in Nigeria. We use this opportunity to call on all the supporters, sympathizers and well wishers of Alh. Bafawa to remain calm but be committed and remain steadfast and monitor event closely. Alh. Bafarwa is an ardent believer of God and the rule of law and every effort has been put in place to challenge his illegal detention in the court of law. It is our responsibilities to save our nascent democracy. Our appeal goes to the Nigerian media of which many journalists paid supreme prize of their life in the struggle for Nigeria democracy.

Oludare Ogunlana

Director of Organization & Strategy

Bafarawa Initiative for Nigeria, BIN