LP To Tinubu: Your Removal Through Legal Means Can’t Cause Anarchy
The Labour Party (LP), has declared that the removal of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from office through the proper application of the law cannot not cause any chaos in Nigeria.
It also insisted that no amount of threat from the APC on the judges in the Election Petition Tribunal can change the processes and requirements that the law has put in place, adding that it must be followed to the later.
The LP stated these while responding to the comment by the legal representative of Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Court, alleging that if he was removed from office, it would lead to anarchy
It expressed serious concern that the statement which formed part of Tinubu’s submissions as was contained in his final written address against the Labour Party’s petition which was meant to be in the exclusive custody of the court was deliberately leaked to the media.
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obior Ifoh, stated that the Party still do not know the reason behind the act of desperation by Tinubu and the APC, even when the matter is still pending in court.
It said that LP we will however be careful not to term the action as “Sub-judice”, stressing that the statement was unnecessary since the matter was already before the court, and going ahead to pontificate on it could be construed as interference in the duties and responsibilities of the judiciary.
In the words of the LP; “The truth of the matter is that there are no sentiments when it comes to matters of law. The law is the law and once the law has stipulated the manner and how a matter must be carried out, it must follow that pattern.
“If the law has stated the requirement that a presidential candidate must meet before he can be declared, there is no shortcut to it. Therefore, if the constitution which is the ground norm of the law in Nigeria has stated clearly that you must score at least 25 percent in FCT before the president can be declared, anything short of that cannot remedy it.
“It is on this note that we request, that caution must be applied by the camp of the APC in its subtle but very clear pressure believed, is being mounted on the judiciary to see the developments from its lens.
“We recall very clearly a mild but stern threat during the ‘Democracy Day’ Speech made by the APC-led administration where it stated emphatically that “It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated.
“We noted then that the warning appeared threatening enough as it sounded more totalitarian but today we are confronted with a sterner approach to whipping the judiciary into a pathway, a development if allowed unchallenged will spell doom for the nation.
“We see in that statement a call on the armies of the APC to awaken to their sworn vow to return to the trenches just the way they unleashed terror on our supporters during the February election.
“The same thugs that perpetrated ‘absurdity, chaos, and anarchy’ and who were used to alter the will of Nigerians are still very present and willing to do the will of their paymasters.
“Let me assure the APC and their leaders that if there were no “absurdity, chaos, and anarchy” when they forced their way into power, Nigeria will still witness peace when they are eventually evicted from power,” the LP stated.
