By Ben Agande & Omeiza Ajayi

Abuja—The All Progressives Congress has faulted what it described as the desperation of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to rope President Muhammadu Buhari into the ongoing investigations of the activities of some judges, saying Governors Ayodele Fayose and Nyesom Wike apparently had something to hide.

This came as the PDP, described the arrest of the justices of the Supreme and Federal High courts as well as the raid on their residences by men of the Department of State Services as an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari has “shown his desire to kill off our democracy and convert it to an autocracy without checks and balances.” The APC, in a statement issued in Abuja, nevertheless, called on the security services to follow the rule of law in their approach to the investigations, saying insinuations that the corruption probe was politically-motivated were largely unfounded.

The APC also called on the security services to further interrogate the recent killings in Rivers State, which the party claimed happened under the watch of Governor Wike.

The APC statement issued by its national secretary, Mai Mala Bunu read: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) is concerned about the desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some of its governors to drag the President into circumstances surrounding the reported raids of the homes of some judges by the State Security Service (SSS).

“The President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led administration strictly respects the principle of the rule of law and also adheres to the constitutional provisions of separation of power among the three arms of government.

“While the party calls on all security agencies to respect and be guided by the rule of law in carrying out  its constitutional duties, the APC finds the actions of some PDP governors and the reckless unsubstantiated allegations levelled by the PDP on President Muhammadu Buhari as the architect of the SSS raids curious and suspicious.

“The APC suspects that the PDP, Ekiti and Rivers State governors, Ayodele Fayose and Nyesom Wike have something to hide. This is a red flag that security agencies must not ignore.

“Meanwhile, the APC will not join issues on matters before the courts because it will be sub judice. We advice the PDP to tow the same line and allow judicial processes run their normal and legitimate course.

“The repeated allegations that the ongoing corruption investigations and trials are politically-motivated by the President and the APC are baseless. The APC urges Nigerians not to be distracted by the PDP and their agents plot to discredit the hugely-successful war against corruption. For the umpteenth time, the PDP does not have the luxury of dictating how the current administration carries out its legitimate duty of catching looters, as long as it conforms to the rule of law.

PDP, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja, yesterday, said: ”The raid, which is the latest in a series of actions taken by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, has revealed its disregard for the rule of law and its abject disdain for the principle of separation of powers.

“This inexorable slide into fascism began with the invasion of Akwa Ibom State Government House by the same DSS, the continued detention of several people, despite courts ordering their release, the invasion of Ekiti State House of Assembly, detention of Hon. Akanni Afolabi and the invasion of Zamfara State House of Assembly.

“This slide into fascism has included a sustained attack on the leadership of the National Assembly, as President Buhari has sought to break its independence and make it a rubber stamp to suit his will.

“It is worthy to note that never in the history of our country has any President attacked the judiciary in such a manner. Even the late dictator – General Sani Abacha, whose regime is remembered by many as the second worst regime in Nigerian history, did not carry out such Gestapo style attacks on members of the Judiciary.

“By bringing this attack to the Judiciary, President Buhari has shown that he has no desire to respect the pillars of our democracy. He has shown his desire to kill off our democracy and convert it to an autocracy without checks and balances.

“The government has no regard for the rule of law or court orders. This government has disregarded the orders of ECOWAS court and every other courts in the land and continue to detain Dasuki illegally. They continue to detain hundreds of Nigerians without bringing them to trial and against valid court orders.