APC defends Matawalle over PDP members’ alleged torture

The All Progressives Congress in Zamfara State and the State Police Command have debunked the allegation made by the Peoples Democratic Party on Friday that the police were working with Governor Bello Matawalle to arrest and torture its members.

The spokesperson for the APC in the state, Yusuf Idris, on Saturday, said the APC had never hatched any plan to attack or disrupt PDP’s activities in the state, stressing that members of the main opposition party were the ones creating problems in order to gain sympathy from the electorate.

Recall that the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, in a press briefing on Friday, said “some elements” within the police were working with the state governor, Bello Mattawale, to “hound”, “arrest” and “torture” its members.

He called on the Inspector General of Police to intervene in the matter, while also calling on the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari to caution the governor.

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However, Idris explained that some PDP chieftains were arrested for vandalising some billboards and posters belonging to the APC last Sunday.

He stressed that the matter was reported to the police, who made the arrests to salvage the situation

He said, “I want the people to understand that the APC being in control of the state will not want to create any problem that can lead to insecurity challenges.

“The PDP has been attacking our members, destroying our billboards and government properties whenever they are organizing a rally in Gusau and other towns in the state”.

“Don’t forget that some weeks ago, two of our party members were killed by the PDP thugs. They had at the same time destroyed our billboards and posters. That was why this time around we reported the matter to the police when they repeated the same attitude last Sunday”.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the state Police Command, Mohammed Shehu, told one of our correspondents on Saturday that the police acted based on the official complaint.