Oshiomhole knocks Secondus over vituperation on S’Ccurt judgement

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been taken up by his counterpart in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, over PDP’s rejection of the Supreme Court judgement on Imo State governorship election petition.

Oshiomhole, who was particularly irked by the PDP’s call for a reversal of the annulment of Emeka Ihedioha’s election by the apex court, said it is irrational for Secondus to have utteted such weighty statements without considering the cinsequences.

He said allegations of complicity against the justices of the apex court by the PDP is dangerous and capable of setting the nation on fire.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, the APC condemned in entirety insinuations of the PDP about the judgement while berating the opposition for its unsportsmanly attitude to election results wherever it failed to win.

Faulting the choice of words by Secondus, the APC chairman said “the PDP yesterday used language that even people who are partially blind watch how PDP made reckless statements that are designed to intimidate the judiciary, the one with a view to undermining the peace and stability of the Nigerian nation”.

Claiming that the PDP is reaping seeds of electoral manipulations it sowed during its 16 years in power, he said the PDP is not only reckless but believed it is its birthright to continue to benefit from electoral fraud and electoral manipulation.

According to Oshiomhole, the court adhered strictly to provisions of the constitution in arriving at its judgement.

“No court has power to bend the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended. It is clearly stated that to win the governorship seat of a state, the candidate must not only score the highest vote in that election, the candidate must necessary have two third of local government areas to qualified to declared the winner of governorship election in each of the 36 States of the Federation.

“In the case of Mr. Emeka Ihedioha and I invite you ask INEC to make available to you the results. It shows clearly that even at the time Ihedioha was declared the governor, he did not score two third of the local government areas. Imo State has 27 local government areas and he scored votes only in 12, two third of 27 is 18. He has huge deficit of 6 local government areas which Ihedioha or any other person must necessary have to be able to be declared the winner of the governorship election.

“The collation officer, a professor of mathematics curiously did not know that 12 is not two third of 27 local government areas and proceeded to unlawfully declare Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State.

“In a society that is committed to fairness and rule of law, that returning officer ought not only to be dismissed, he ought to have reported himself to the security how he arrived at the decision to declare Emeka Ihedioha as governor.

“It has been the philosophy of PDP particularly from 2003 after the 1999 elections to arrogantly ask their agents or activists to manipulate INEC to add vote and tell the loser who would have been the winner to go to court and challenge it if he is not ready to accept the fraud perpetrated between INEC and PDP.

“That exactly they did in the case of Imo and I think that was the height of irresponsibility on the part of INEC.  Now that it has been established that the Professor went out of boundaries and indulge in this reckless pronouncement that has led us to this situation that we are in, he can not enjoy the comfort of his zone while he has laid foundation that all kinds political vultures are trying to feast on.

“You need to follow truly the processes of the Supreme Court before arriving at the decision that Senator Hope Uzodinma is winner of the election”, said Oshiomhole.

He blamed Ihedioha’s legal team for failing to fault the results of votes cast in the 388 polling units upon which Uzodinma rested its application at the Supreme Court.

The APC, he said, commended the justices of the apex court it claimed has done marvelous job in delivering the judgement.

Oshiomhole said: “We applaud the verdict of the Supreme Court and condemn in strongest term, attempt by Secondus and the PDP to ridicule and downgrade the seven eminent jurists of the court.

“We also appeal to their lordships not to be deterred by such reckless and unfounded allegations from the PDP”.

He challenged the opposition to desist from politics of do or die and learn how to accept defeat whenever it lost an election.