PDP demands S’Court review Buhari, 4 Govs victories

Inanity, PDP’s pastime, APC replies

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has concluded plans to approach the Supreme Court to demand a review of its judgements in the 2019 presidential election petition in which it declared President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner.

The PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, at a press briefing on Monday evening, said the party is also seeking review of judgements in respect of Kano, Katsina, Kaduna and Osun states.

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He said this decision of the party’s National Working Committee was predicated on the resolve of the APC to seek review of the apex court verdict on Zamfara and Bayelsa states governorship election petitions.

He said “consequently, the National Working Committee of the PDP, after comprehensive consultations, states that our party has no choice left, given the manner with which the APC has conducted itself, than to ask for a review of the judgment of the Presidential election petition tribunal, where the issue of certificate forgery and or presentation of false information in aid of qualifications was clearly established against the APC and her presidential candidate.

“The same applies to the judgment on the Katsina governorship election petition, where lawyers also established similar issue of certificate forgery.

“The PDP equally has no choice than to ask the Supreme Court to review the Kano, Kaduna and Katsina election judgments, because of manifest violence and substantial non-compliance to our electoral law.

“The PDP also asks the Supreme Court to review its judgment on the Osun Governorship election in view of manifest, complete and total disregard to our electoral rules in the conduct of the elections.

The position of the PDP, he said, was based on the desperation of the APC to “subjugate, intimidate for the purpose of annexing the Supreme Court over Imo, Bayelsa and Zamfara governorship Election judgments”.

It said it is already aware of the desperation by the APC to annex the Supreme Court, subjugate and browbeat the justices and direct judicial determinations to suit their selfish ends.

The party alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is all out to destabilize the nation and destroy Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy while urging Nigerians to stand in unity to defend the nation and salvage it from political marauders and oppressive elements.

The PDP further alleged that “the public space is already awash with reports of how the APC has been threatening and piling pressure on the justices of the Supreme Court to force a reversal of valid judgments already delivered on the Bayelsa and Zamfara governorship elections, where the party (APC) suffered self-inflicted losses.

“Nigerians know that the APC has been going through a hemorrhage since the Supreme Court delivered valid judgments on Bayelsa and Zamfara and as a result, they are no longer interested in the logic of these judgments. They have since thrown caution to the wind to destabilize our nation and destroy our hard-earned democracy especially the judiciary. The APC federal government is leading all forms of battles against the rule of law and constitutionalism. 

“However, the PDP finds it ludicrous, ridiculous and insulting to the sensibilities and respect of the Supreme Court stices for the APC to hurriedly and malevolently head to the Supreme Court to attempt to arm twist the lord justices to effect a forceful reversal of the valid, flawless and faultless judgments on Bayelsa and Zamfara states governorship elections”.

The party insisted that there was obvious miscarriage of justice by the Supreme Court panel on the Imo State governorship election, for which the PDP accordingly reverted to the Supreme Court asking it to correct the manifest mistakes and errors.

But, in a swift response, the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared that inanity has become PDP’s pastime.

The APC said that the call by the opposition  for  review of  rulings on the Presidential Election and governorship elections in Osun, Kano, Kaduna and Katsina States, has, once again, exposed the joke the PDP has turned itself into in the  nation’s political space.

APC National publicity secretary, Lanre Issa – Onilu, in a statement, said never in the history of the nation’s democracy has a political party made mockery of what a responsible opposition politics entails.

The APC said “the PDP’s call has once again, reinforced our party’s belief that the PDP has become a clog in the wheels of our country’s political evolution.

“For the All Progressives Congress (APC), PDP’s latest antics is no surprise. Nigerians would recall that we have consistently reiterated that the opposition party, having been overwhelmingly rejected at the polls in 2015 and 2019, has been exhibiting strange behaviours.

“We believe it has been difficult for some leaders of PDP to cope for so long outside of power. There is obviously a lot of idleness at the Wadata House Secretariat of PDP.

“At this period that our government is working hard to ensure food sufficiency in the country, we urge those jobless characters at the Wadata House to seriously consider taking up rice farming. This would make them useful for our country”.