The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is mounting pressure on the Supreme Court to restrain itself from reversing the apex court’s judgement on the Imo governorship election petition.
The Supreme Court had, in a January 14 judgement, sacked Mr. Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP as Imo governor and ordered that Senator Hope Uzodinma of the APC be sworn-in instead.
But the PDP had approached the Supreme Court, praying for a review and possible reversal of the judgement. The matter is still pending before the apex court.
One of the grounds on which the PDP is seeking a reversal of the judgement was that going by the contents of the judgement, the total number of votes cast at the poll exceeded the number of accredited voters.
In a statement on Wednesday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said the judgement was flawed and that it contained “obvious mistakes” that capable of threatening the stability of the nation.
The party however, hailed the apex court over its judgement on the Bayelsa state governorship election, which was delivered on Wednesday.
It however, noted that the elements and grounds for the demands by the PDP and majority of Nigerians for the reversal of the Imo governorship election judgment were completely different from those of Bayelsa.
The APC had approached the Supreme Court, seeking a review and possible reversal of its February 13 judgment in which the court sacked the APC governor-elect, Mr David Lyon over multiple identities of his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi.
But the Supreme Court had, while dismissing the review application filed by the APC and Lyon, descended on the applicants and had imposed heavy fines on their lawyers.
But the PDP, in its statement, explained that its demand on Imo was not in any way in contestation of the authority and finality of the Supreme Court.
Apparently apprehensive over possible backlash in its review application, as suffered by the APC, the PDP said its own application was a patriotic effort to assist the Supreme Court.
While emphasising the infallibility of the apex court, the party said its desire was to assist in correcting the inherent mistakes in the judgment, which it said, came as a result of misleading presentation to the court by the APC.
The PDP further said, “It is therefore instructive to note that the various election matters before the Supreme Court were brought on clearly distinctive grounds and each should be treated on its merit before the law.
“The only reason APC was pushing for a review of the Supreme Court’s valid and flawless judgment on the Bayelsa and Zamfara governorship elections was to cause confusion and blackmail the Supreme Court from treating the Imo case on merit.
“The grounds for the reversal of Imo judgment are unambiguously constitutional and completely distinct from APC’s attempt to blackmail the Supreme Court with their demands on the Bayelsa and Zamfara states governorship elections”
The party urged the Supreme Court not to succumb to the “threats and blackmail” by APC to prevent it from looking at the merit of the Imo case, correcting the mistakes and reversing the “flawed” judgement.
