Date: 2019-02-14

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has raised alarm over plot to use soldiers to cordon off the personal residence of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki in Kwara State, ahead of Saturday's elections.

This was as the opposition party alleged that police officers have been ordered to arrest loyalists of Saraki in Ilorin, the state capital.

In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, the former ruling party claimed that heavy security operatives have been deployed to Kwara State, ahead of Saturday's election.

According to Ologbondiyan: "The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to the heavy deployment of top security chiefs to Kwara State, the home state of the President of the Senate and Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, ahead of the general elections.

“This is part of the plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to intimidate, harass, create fears in the minds of voters and rig elections in the state.

"As part of the plot, the Directorate of State Services (DSS) has deployed its Director of Operations, Etteng Bassey, as well as the State Directors in charge of Ogun and Anambra States to Kwara State ahead of Saturday's elections while the Director in charge of Kwara State has been moved to Benue. This is in addition to the deployment of hundreds of other DSS operatives from Abuja to Kwara state.

"We also have it on good authority that soldiers will from tomorrow cordon off all entry points to the personal house of the Senate President in Ilorin as well as his late father's compound in Ilofa Road, old GRA, Ilorin.

"Similarly, the police have made heavy deployment of officers and men from its headquarters in Abuja to Ilorin, Kwara state capital, where they have been instructed to arrest key political players loyal to Senator Saraki.

"We alert Nigerians that the Federal Government plots to use the same strategy in key states of the federation to subvert the will of the people.

"And these are the reasons behind APC's boasts of winning the general elections when all indications, including the opinion polls sponsored by them, show otherwise.

"Such vicious plots by the APC and the Buhari Presidency will come to naught, as Nigerians are ready to confront all aggressions and vote them out at the general elections. PDP therefore charged all its members and supporters to remain resolute in "resisting the machinations of the APC," by coming out enmasse to vote and protect their votes with every legitimate means available to them.