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The Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, headquarters has declared as unacceptable the
verdict of the River State governorship election tribunal sitting in
Abuja, which sacked Governor Nyesom Wike.
In a statement signed by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party said:
“Indications to this spurious judgment had months ago been hinted to the PDP, which in turn, alerted the nation and the international community of the heinous plot by the APC government to use the judiciary and various security agencies to reverse the victory of the PDP in Rivers, Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Taraba and Abia states.
“We invite Nigerians and the international community to recall various reprehensible steps taken by the APC government that culminated in this ruling as well as the ridiculous Wednesday’s verdict of the Akwa-Ibom state governorship election tribunal, also sitting in Abuja.”
The party listed some of the allegations against the APC as:
1. The curious and controversial relocation of the elections tribunals from their states to Abuja without any justification.
2. The constant juggling of judicial officers and members of
governorship elections tribunal in PDP states, especially, Rivers and
Akwa-Ibom states.
3. Constant
harassment of judicial and electoral officers involved in the
governorship election cases in these state, using agencies of
government, particularly, the Directorate of State Services (DSS) under
the direct command of a known APC member, Alhaji Lawal Daura.
4. Constant threats, intimidation and coercing of witnesses against the PDP in the tribunals.
5. The recent
mass transfer of security operatives, especially the DSS and police
personnel that actually participated in the conduct of the elections in
Rivers and Akwa-Ibom, ostensibly to frustrate the course of genuine
evidences in the process.
“The bias in the
judgment against the PDP in Rivers as well as Akwa-Ibom is evidenced in
the contradictions inherent in the trial process of the two cases and
the verdicts therein, whereby the tribunals clearly disregarded standing
legal norm that a petitioner must establish prove of claims.
“Also curious is the fact that after both the petitioner and respondent
agreed before the tribunal that both card reader and manual
accreditations were used for the election, the tribunal still went ahead
to base its decision on issues of card reader.
“While it is convenient to them to use legal technicalities to deny PDP
victory in Imo, Lagos, Ogun and Yobe states, the same rules are
misapplied to wickedly favour APC petitioners in Rivers and Akwa-Ibom
states.
“It is therefore evinced that these contradictions are direct fall-out
of compromises as well as boasts by the APC of being in direct and
remote control of the tribunals.
“If not, how can one explain the fact that while governorship elections
are being upturned in PDP states, in APC states, where similar claims
and facts are in contention, elections are being upheld.
“Further proof of bias by the Rivers tribunal is the fact that less than
24 hours after various counsels submitted nine written addresses and
documents, the tribunal rushed its notice of judgment, an action
ostensibly aimed at ambushing the pending Supreme Court action on the
issue of jurisdiction regarding the relocation of the tribunal outside
River state, which was due to be delivered on Tuesday.
“This is not withstanding the fact that the tribunal has up to seven
days after of receipt of addresses, to deliver its judgment, but chose
instead, to rush to deliver this spurious verdict even on a Saturday, a
development eliciting suspicion that the judgment may have since been
predetermined and written even before the commencement of the case.
“The PDP calls on all Nigerians and the international community to note
this growing manipulation of the judiciary by the APC government, a
factor which portends great danger to our democracy and the stability of
our country.
“Nigerians would want to recall that under the PDP-led government with
former President Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to the tenets of
democracy as encapsulated in the safeguard of ‘one man one vote’ and the
independence of the judiciary, the PDP conceded electoral defeat in
Edo, Anambra, and Imo states without attempting to collect victory
through executive manipulation of the judicial process.
“The PDP restates unequivocally that this judgments must not stand in
view of the prevailing inherent contradictions, in addition to the huge
threat they portend to our democracy and national stability,” the party
said.
PDP further charged all lovers of democracy, particularly its members in
Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states, not to be daunted, saying the judgments
would not stand the test of the law and the will of the people.
“We therefore reassure that the PDP will do all within the ambit of the
law to resist this criminal attempt by the APC to steal and thwart the
will of the people,” the statement said.
