PDP accuses APC of mounting pressure on Supreme Court to reclaim Sokoto, Bauchi others

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm over alleged plan by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the presidency to mount pressure on the Supreme Court to reclaim Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa and Benue state.

The ruling party had challenged PDP’s victories in the March 9, 2019, gubernatorial elections in the four states and the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on the appeals on Monday, January 20, 2020.

Before the elections, APC was the ruling party in both Adamawa and Bauchi, but the party’s candidates lost to the PDP candidates, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and Bala Mohammed respectively.

In Sokoto and Benue state, Governors Aminu Tambuwal and Samuel Ortom respectively left the APC for the PDP before the election and got reelected on the platform of the opposition party.

Meanwhile, following Supreme Court’s ruling sacking Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo state and declaring APC’s Hope Uzodinma as the duly elected candidate in the March 2019 elections, the PDP has been crying foul over the judgement.

Former Governor of Imo state, Emeka Ihedioha was recently sacked by the Supreme Court. [This Day] Pulse Nigeria

On Friday, January 17, 2020, PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, while speaking at the party’s 87th National Executive Council meeting in Abuja described the court’s judgement as a “miscarriage of justice”.

He said, “The ruling APC and the Federal Government, combining effectively with the Independent National Electoral Commission and some security agencies including military, took the electoral manipulation to the next level.”

“The National Working Committee has credible intelligence that the Presidency and the APC leadership are still arm-twisting the judiciary to ensure that they deliver to them Sokoto, Benue, Bauchi and Adamawa while keeping Kano, which we clearly won.

“We have demanded the seven justices that participated in the Imo judicial fraud recuse themselves from the remaining cases involving the PDP.

People's Democratic Party, PDP flags (Leadership) Pulse Nigeria

“We know that the APC and President Buhari have taken our civility for a weakness and inability to act. The Presidency has even abandoned governance amidst the myriads of challenges facing the land and prefers to take issue with us as main opposition party, a deliberate policy to divert attention from their inept leadership.”

Secondus had earlier called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Mohammed to resign over Supreme Court’s judgement on Imo state.

Meanwhile, his counterpart in the ruling party, Adams Oshiomhole has criticised Secondus and the opposition party for calling for the justice’ resignation.

Describing the PDP as a reckless party, Oshiomhole said Secondus' statement was not only designed to intimidate the judiciary, but also to incite civil unrest in the country.