Romanus Ugwu and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded reviews of the Supreme Court judgment on the 2019 presidential polls, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna and Osun gubernatorial elections.
The Supreme Court had affirmed President Muhammadu Buhari as winner and equally upheld the election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in Kano, Katsina, Kaduna and Osun states.
This is coming on the heels of the demand by the APC for a review of the apex court judgment on the Zamfara and Bayelsa states governorship polls, where the Supreme Court awarded victory to the PDP.
After the PDP candidate in the Imo governorship contest, Emeka Ihedioha, applied to the apex court to review its judgment sacking him as governor, the APC equally approached the Supreme Court seeking a review of the verdict on the Zamfara and Bayelsa gubernatorial polls.
However, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, at a press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, said the APC was allegedly pilling pressure on the justices of the Supreme Court to reverse the judgment on Zamfara and Bayelsa states governorship contest.
Ologbondiyan said whereas the losses of the ruling party in Zamfara and Bayelsa were self inflicted, there was a consensus that there was “obvious miscarriage of justice in the Imo governorship dispute.
“Nigerians know that the APC has been going through a haemorrhage 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 destabilise 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 justices 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.
“Consequently, the National Working Committee of the PDP, after comprehensive consultations, states that our party has no choice left, given the manner 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,” he said.
Reacting, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said inanity has become PDP’s pastime.
“The call by the PDP, asking the Supreme Court to review its rulings on the Presidential Election and governorship elections in Osun, Kano, Kaduna and Katsina States, has, once again, exposed the joke the opposition party has turned itself into in our nation’s political space.
“Never in the history of our democratic journey has a political party made mockery of what a responsible opposition politics entails. 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 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,” PDP said.
