Zamfara PDP says governor using police to harass opposition

THEPeoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Zamfara State has accused Governor Bello Matawalle of using security operatives to harass and arrest key members of the party in the state to silence the opposition.

After riding on the back of PDP to the Government House in 2019, Matawalle defected to the All Progressives Congress ( APC), the ruling party at the centre.

In a statement, yesterday, in Kaduna State, Media Office of PDP chieftain, Dauda Lawal, accused the state government of using the police to arrest opposition party members in the state.

Specifically, the party claimed that in Zamfara, the police were hounding its key members, citing the recent arrest of former Minister of State for Information and Director- General of PDP Governorship Campaign

Council, Ikra Bilbis.

The statement reads: “Zamfara PDP wishes to alert the general public that it has secured intelligence that the Matawalle- led government has perfected plans to clamp down on notable opposition party figures in the state.

“The proposed unguided plan is to come up with trumped up charges and insist that security agencies, especially the police, arrest and charge such opposition party members to court. The plan has been activated with the illegal arrest of Bilbis.” The Guardian gathered that Bilbis and some PDP members were arrested and detained by the police on the orders of the governor. He added: “Our source has confirmed that k ey members of the PDP were identified f or unjustifiable arrest, including our governorship candidate, Dr. Dauda Lawal, and acting chairman, Mukhtar Lugga.”