Things are not looking good for CJN Ibrahim Tanko’s led Nigerian judiciary since the controversial rulings against the People’s Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, by both the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and the Supreme Court, following Atiku’s petition challenging Buhari’s victory in the 2019 presidential election.
Atiku’s court case which was seen by many as a stern test for the integrity of the nation’s justice system, was unconvincingly dismissed by the Tribunal and Supreme Court.
Though unsatisfied with the rulings against Atiku, the PDP, Atiku and Nigerians decided to move on until the Supreme Court yet again, controversially nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State. The PDP has since embarked on protests demanding that the Supreme Court reverses its judgment against Ihedioha
Call it damage control, a ploy or whatever by the Buhari administration, but the Supreme Court ‘strangely’ ruled in favor of PDP’s Douye Diri against David Lyon of the APC in last year’s Bayelsa governorship election which saw Lyon emerge as winner. I call it strange because Ihedioha had a better chance of obtaining a favorable ruling compared to Diri, yet he lost.
Meanwhile, a dissatisfied APC also like the PDP, rejected the Supreme Court’s ruling, and demands that the verdict also be reversed, alongside ruling against the party in Zamfara State. This is where something smells bad.
The PDP who seemed equal to the task, is also pushing back saying in a press release yesterday, that the party has resolved to push for the review of not only the Imo ruling by the Supreme Court, but also Osun, Katsina, Kano and Kaduna states governorship election judgements by the apex Court.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said the party has found it ridiculous and insulting to the sensibilities of the Supreme Court Justices for the APC to “hurriedly” head to the Supreme Court to allegedly attempt to arm-twist the justices to effect a reversal of the “valid, flawless and faultless judgments” on Bayelsa and Zamfara states governorship elections.
It said, “Consequently, the National Working Committee (NWC) 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 party stated. It also asked the apex 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.
“Our party will not fold its hands and watch enemies of our hard-earned democracy, who contributed nothing to its birth, to continue to appropriate our collective sovereignty for their selfish political gains while destroying our institutions and holding our people to ransom,” PDP said.
