The Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign council in Benue, Dr. Cletus Tyokyaa has been arrested.
Tyokyaa was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during the Presidential/National Assembly polls which were held on Saturday.
It was gathered that the PDP chieftain was apprehended for being in possession of N100,000 cash.
Although the EFCC is yet to react to the incident, the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom confirmed the arrest.
The governor accused the anti-graft agency of being an agent of destabilisation, wondering if they were hired by a political party.
He asked the EFCC to immediately release Tyokyaa, stressing that he wasn’t buying votes as rumoured.
“The DG of our campaign has been arrested purportedly by EFCC for having N100,000 on him. He was searched, what is that? Are they the agents of destabilisation of the electoral process?” Ortom said after voting in his Gbajimba hometown in Guma Local Government Area.
“Are you telling me that I will not have money for upkeep when I go to the polling unit or where? It is a shame and this is not right.
“And I want to advise EFCC to immediately release the director of our campaigns, Dr Cletus Tyokyaa. It is wrong. I have more than N100,000 but I am not buying votes and he was not buying votes. You arrest him if he is buying votes. If they are paid agents of a particular political party to destabilise us on the election day that we have prepared for over one year, this is wrong,” he said.
Besides the arrest, the governor commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the smooth conduct of the election in Benue.
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