The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decried what it called the harassment of the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, opposition leaders, and dissent voices by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led-Federal Government.

The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja, accused the government of misusing the anti-graft and security agencies close to the 2019 general election.

Ologbondiyan said that the current development posed a grave threat to the nation’s democracy and urged the international community to stop the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration before it became too late.

The party was reacting to what it described as a witch-hunt against Ekweremadu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“Just a few days after the EFCC and over 200 policemen practically held Ekweremadu hostage to prevent the defection of the APC Senators to the PDP, the EFCC has continued to harass Ekweremadu to cover its shame.

“We wish to remind Nigerians and the international community that this is only the newest in the series of attempts to destroy the senator politically in the run up to the 2019 general elections.

“It is of grave concern to us that while corruption and corrupt persons abound in the APC, the EFCC prefers to chase after innocent members of the opposition,” it said.

PDP said while scores of APC members with corruption and fraud-related charges walk free, the anti-graft agencies had continued to harass and dent leaders of the opposition in the name of anti-corruption war.

It warned the APC administration to desist from “highhandedness and witch-hunt of the opposition” in order not truncate the country’s democracy.

“The APC government cannot be allowed to tarnish and destroy opposition leaders just a few months to the general election in the name of fighting corruption,” Ologbondiyan added.