The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has condemned Thursday’s arrest of the Senator representing Kwara South Senatorial District, Rafiu Ibrahim by officers of the Nigeria Police Force ahead of Saturday’s elections.

The Chairman of the PDP Kwara South Youth Forum, Hon. Muideen Abdulrahman had raised the alarm of the unlawful arrest through a statement he issued on Thursday night.

Abdulrahman said the action was a sign that the Police have decided to take sides against the opposition, adding that the reason behind the Senator’s arrest remains unknown.

Reacting to the development, the PDP, through a statement issued on Friday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbodiyan demanded an immediate release of Senator Ibrahim and all others arrested in connection with the matter.

“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands the immediate and unconditional release of our Kwara South Senatorial candidate, Senator Rufai Ibrahim and other members of the party framed-up, arrested and detained by the Police in Kwara State.

“The PDP holds that the continued detention of Senator Ibrahim on the eve of a crucial election, in which he is a lead contender, is completely provocative.

“The party also cautions the police to stop harassing, arresting and detaining its members on flimsy charges, which might directly pitch security agents against the people in a manner that might spark off violent resistance with regrettable consequences.

“This resort to police brutality by the APC is a script by a losing team which seeks to introduce violence and use the police to execute their rigging plots.

“Nigerians will recall our vehement protest against the deployment of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s lackey, CP Kayode Egbetokun as Kwara state Commissioner of Police, wherein we alerted of plots by the APC to use him to incite the people, cause pandemonium and pave the way for outright rigging in favour of President Buhari and all other candidates on the platform of APC.

“However, PDP, in clear terms cautions the APC and their compromised security agents that nobody has the monopoly of show of strength. Our members in Kwara or any other state, for that matter are law-abiding but will never allow themselves to be subjugated by anybody, particularly in this critical electoral process.

“In this regard, our members should immediately activate their individual and collective defence mechanisms by using every legitimate means available, to resist the aggression of the APC and their compromised security agents as well as dismantle their rigging machineries.

“We know that the plan of the APC is to stop our members from accessing their polling centres. Our members should deploy all legitimate means, including lawful self-preservation strategies and tactical manoeuvres to beat the aggressions, arrive at their respective polling centres and exercise their voting rights accordingly.

The PDP therefore calls on the Inspector General of Police to immediately call CP Kayode Egbetokun to order. We also call on lovers of democracy all over the world to rise in condemnation of this wicked harassment and arrest of our members ahead of a crucial election,” the statement read.