2019 Poll: PDP Govs Okay Supreme Court Appeal For Party, Atiku
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has moved to dispel rumours of a split within its ranks by supporting the Party’s decision to appeal the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) judgment that dismissed in its entirety the petition filed by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar challenging the 2019 presidential elections results.
In throwing their weight behind the PDP leadership, the governors said the judgment stood justice on its head, and if not challenged at the Supreme court, could be an albatross for Nigeria’s nascent democracy.
According to a press statement from its secretariat in Abuja on Sunday, Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson, said; “After painstakingly and prudently studying line after line of the judgement, several holes were picked and countless anomalies were identified by us.
“We would be doing a greater disservice and moral injustice to our party, our democracy and Nigerians in general if we turn blind eyes, swallow such bile and applaud that rape of justice.
“The judgement, to say the least, has further painted our judiciary with darker colours, only this time around with a never-before-seen blemished coat of tar.
“However, we are hopeful that the Supreme Court will re-write that history by ensuring that such stains and tar are removed from our judicial archives.”
The statement further stated that; “The apex court should know that its integrity is at stake and in order to avoid it been shredded to particles, it must save our nation and the future of Nigerians yet unborn from a development that may further make us a perpetual laughing stock among the comity of nations. And Nigerians are very hopeful that these wrongs will be righted.”
“Without any iota of trepidation, it is most paramount for us to once more, restate and reconfirm our undiluted loyalty, deserving support and maximum commitment to our great party and the Atiku-Obi Presidential Ticket.
“This is our stand, now and in the future. Posterity would judge us harshly if we did otherwise”, the Governors said
The Governors’ statement supporting the Party’s stand came on the heels of Governor Nyesom Wike, congratulatory message to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Rivers State Chief Executive, who is one of the party’s top financiers, had accused some PDP governors of always paying nocturnal visits to the President in Abuja.
However, inside sources could not confirm if the outspoken Governor is part of the Forum’ decision.
CUPP raises alarm
Meanwhile, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has raised an alarm over alleged plots to intimidate and blackmail Supreme Court justices ahead of PDP’s appeal against the Tribunal ruling.
CUPP, which showcases itself as an umbrella of 45 opposition political parties, said it was “alarmed by the Federal Government’s latest onslaught against judges across the country in form of a request from the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) that all banks make details of bank accounts of all justices of the Supreme Court available to the unit.”
A statement by its Spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said; “This request by the NFIU is coming simultaneously with another request from one of the security agencies to all mobile telecommunication companies to furnish them with the phone log of all the Justices of the Supreme Court and other listed Nigerians from 1st August, 2018 till 10th September, 2019.”
The NFIU had since denied media reports on the allegations in a press statement even as the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are yet to officially comment on CUPP’s position.
