Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded immediate  release of former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, arguing that President Buhari made worse ‘inciting comments’ shortly after the 2011 general elections but he was not arrested by the then President, Goodluck Jonathan.

Lamido was arrested and detained by the police in Kano on Sunday for allegedly making inciting statement regarding the forthcoming local government election in the state.

The PDP faction also demanded the release of Mr. Gabriel Suswam and Babangida Aliyu, former Governors of Benue and Niger States respectively, who are also being detained.

A statement issued on Monday by the spokesman of the Makarfi camp, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, demanded the unconditional release of the three former governors and other political detainees.

It reads: “The true reason for his arrest however, has to do with the forthcoming local government election in Jigawa State. The long incarceration of former Governor Gabriel Suswam is also linked to the forthcoming local government election in Benue State.

“The APC led administration is fast losing the confidence of the people because of its non-performance, high handedness and lack of empathy for the suffering of the people.

“The only option left for it is to prevent the opposition from effectively campaigning and mobilizing the people for the elections. The whole strategy of the failed APC government is founded on the assumption that if there is no opposition, then they cannot be defeated.

“Hence the intimidation, harassment and incarceration of popular opposition leaders like Sule Lamido. We are aware that, we in the opposition will be in for a hard time in the run-up to the 2019 general elections with more arrests and intimidation of our prominent leaders.”

The party recalled what it described as inciting statements made by President Muhammadu Buhari shortly before the 2011 general elections, which resulted in bloodshed after the poll; but for which Buhari was not arrested by the then PDP-controlled federal government.

It also recalled Buhari’s statement shortly before the 2015 general elections, where he threatened a repeat of the 2011 post-election violence by vowing that the “dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.”

“For this statement and others as well, he was never invited, arrested or detained by any of the security agencies under the PDP administration. It was not a sign of weakness by the PDP led government. It was in deference to freedom of speech, democracy and peace.

“The APC has today unleashed the Nigerian Police, the DSS and the EFCC to harass and intimidate judges, opposition leaders, social media influencers/bloggers and other Nigerians that speak against the APC -led federal or state governments on fabricated charges just to cow them.

“Governor Lamido merely asked the people to defend their votes against rigging. How is that a crime? If you are not planning to steal the peoples’ votes, why should you be afraid if the people are advised to defend their votes? Of course, no thief would want the owner to guide his house against burglary.

“The excesses of the security agencies have now reached alarming proportions. If they must be reminded, their mandate is to defend all Nigerians and not to act as a willing instrument of oppression of the people by the autocratic APC government,” the statement added.