Kogi: Appeal Court Verdict, Major Setback To Democratic Process If Left Unchallenged – PDP

…Expresses shock that Appeal Court discountenanced hard evidence

BY GRACE ANYANWU, ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday declared that the judgment of the Appeal Court in favour of Governor Yahaya Bello, would be a major setback to the nation’s democratic process if left unchallenged.

It also said that the judgment does not in any way vitiate or detract from the fact, by hard evidence, that the PDP won the November 16, 2019 Kogi State governorship election.

This is as the party expressed shock at the Court of Appeal’s judgment which it noted decided to discount the merit of the evidences before it, which showed that its candidate, Engr. Musa Wada scored the highest valid votes in the election.

The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, expressed confidence that justice will be served on the merit of the case by the Supreme Court.

According to Ologbondiyan; “Our party holds that discounting of hard evidence of over-voting, massive thumb printing, voter intimidation, thuggery and other irregularities and malpractices used by the APC and compromised INEC officials to manipulate the results of the election would be reviewed at the Supreme Court.

“Justice on any matter is based on the weight of evidence before a court. The failure by the Appeal Court to consider key and essential ingredients of evidence before it on their merit, as already admitted and upheld by a judgment of a preceding court, amounted to a frustration of the course of justice in the matter”.

The PDP insisted that the evidences are clear that its candidate is the genuine choice of the people in the November 16, 2019 election, adding that the people of Kogi state now look up to the Supreme Court to reverse the injustice handed over to them, especially, given the evidence laid, as affirmed by the courageous verdict of Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele at the Election Tribunal.

It urged the people not to despair over the judgment of the Appeal Court but to remain calm and prayerful, as justice will definitely be served at the Supreme Court