The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described the handcuffing of its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh when he appeared in court on Tuesday as pure wickedness and a deliberate act to punish the opposition party.

It said the ugly development was top political witch-hunt policy of the All Progressives Congress, which it said was carefully designed to humiliate, embarrass and portray PDP leaders as common criminals.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo on Tuesday, the party said the aim of the ruling party was to break Metuh.

“The question remains, if not to mortify, dehumanise and break Metuh, who has been very vocal against the APC administration, and of course to send a signal to others critical of the government, what else would have informed the decision to produce him in court in handcuffs, even when his case does not border on security
threat?” Oladipo said.

“Is this an attempt to sway the court and ambush the judicial process against our National Publicity Secretary, all because of his stance against observed ineptitude and dictatorial tendencies of this administration?

“The PDP invites all Nigerians and the international community to note the emerging barefaced abuse of state power and violation of constitutional provisions regarding the arrest, detention and eventual
arraignment of our spokesperson”, he added.

He alleged that for now, the target of the on-going “lopsided war against corruption is the PDP and its leaders” while all APC members, including those with known corruption issues had been immune from investigation, arrest and prosecution.

Oladipo added that, more worrisome was the fact that institutions of government,

He said, “Under PDP administration, some Nigerians, including APC leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu were tried but never humiliated; now we see security operatives under this regime being used to crush and humiliate the opposition.”