The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday accused the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the attorney general and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, planning to scuttle the victory secured by the party in the just concluded Rivers state governorship election by causing constitutional uproar.
A statement by the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the party has been informed about plans by some top shots in the APC who have been mounting pressure on the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Mohammed.
Ologbondiyan said the APC through its agents have been mounting pressure on Mohammed to reverse the February 12, 2019 final judgment of the Supreme Court, which upheld the verdict of the trial court that lawfully excluded the APC from participating in the National Assembly, governorship and State Assembly elections in Rivers state.
He said that the APC frustrated by its lawful exclusion used compromised security agents to violently disrupt the smooth conduct of elections in Rivers state.
He also noted that the party adopted the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), funded his election and made compromised security agents and thugs available to him, with the view to using them to muscle votes.
Ologbondiyan said: “In spite of these conspiracies by the APC, the will of the people of Rivers state prevailed, as they braved the odds, resisted all machinations and voted overwhelmingly for the PDP and all its candidates.”
“The spontaneous jubilation in Rivers State and across the country, in addition to the general outpouring of goodwill to Governor Nyesom Wike and other candidates of the PDP on their victory, clearly demonstrates the PDP popularity and acceptance not only by the people of Rivers, but also by lovers of democracy all over world.
“However, not done with the desperation to cause confusion and crisis in Rivers state, the leader of the APC in the state; Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has engaged in fresh conspiracies to subvert the will of the people as expressed at the polls,” Ologbondiyan said.
He further added that the ruling party in Rivers state have information the Amaechi have been making unbelievable assurances in the state that he has the ears of the Supreme Court under the leadership of Acting CJN.
Ologbondiyan also said the minister of transport have assured some people in the state that the Supreme Court will reverse its final judgment on APC primaries and create the way for fresh elections in Rivers state, in which the APC will be allowed to participate.
“Rotimi Amaechi goes about boasting that the apex court in the land, the Supreme Court, will reverse itself and declare for fresh conduct of all the elections in Rivers State. This is completely reprehensible and unthinkable in our democratic process,” Ologbondiyan said
He said if this is allowed to occur, it will also amount to the highest travesty of justice, apart from being a direct abuse of court process.
“The Supreme Court is the highest temple of justice in our country and as such must protect itself from all forms of manipulative tendencies of the APC,” Ologbondiyan said.
“The jubilation across the country that trailed its February 12 final judgment is a testament of justice and a reinforcement of the confidence Nigerians have in the Supreme Court, which must not be destroyed by the APC.
“The PDP therefore urges the Acting CJN not to allow his office to be used by desperate power mongers in the APC to cause anarchy and perpetrate more violence in Rivers state.
“The people of Rivers state have experienced so much crisis, bloodletting, harassment and intimidation from the APC in its desperation to forcefully take over the state,” he concluded.
