PDP Govs Vow to Resist Plot to Foist One Party State

· Wike: We risked our lives to keep Matawalle

· Renews legal battle to unseat Uzodimma

Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah in Abuja, Eromosele Abiodun and Nume Ekeghe in Lagos

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors yesterday drew the battle line with All Progressives Congress (APC) over jitters of a plot to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

The governors in a statement yesterday in Abuja expressed their determination to resist the alleged plot to foist a one-party state on the country.

The governors spoke against the backdrop of Tuesday’s defection of Zamfara State Governor, Hon. Bello Matawalle, from the PDP to APC.

Matawalle is the third PDP governor, after his colleagues in Ebonyi State, Chief Dave Umahi, and Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade, to cross over to the ruling party in the last seven months.

But the APC has denied the allegation of trying to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

However, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, excoriated Matawalle for betraying the PDP, saying that the governors of the main opposition party risked their lives by travelling on what he described as, “very terribly bad road” from Sokoto to Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, to appeal to Matawalle not to leave PDP.

PDP has also filed a fresh document, seeking the listing of its suit seeking the sacking of the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, by the Supreme Court.

The PDP governors, in the statement yesterday by the Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Hon. Cyril Maduabum, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC to concentrate their efforts on tackling insecurity and fighting Boko Haram instead of poaching governors of the main opposition party.

They said: “If Mr. President or APC can spend 10 per cent of the energy they use in wooing PDP governors and stalwarts in tackling the ravaging incidents of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, herders/farmers conflicts, separatist tendencies, or in building infrastructure, providing food, health care, education and tending to the general wellbeing of Nigerians, our country would be a better place.”

The governors also mocked the APC, saying that a political party that cannot constitute its board of trustees and that is ruled by a military-like National Executive Committee and unelected executives at all levels, contrary to Section 223 of the constitution, has nothing to attract anyone.

The governors stated that anyone defecting from PDP or any other party to APC today under the terrible conditions they have put Nigeria into is looking for something else other than the good of the nation.

They said the APC and its government at the federal level had become a threat to Nigeria and its democracy.

They added: “The PDP governors will continue to resist the attempt by the APC to foist a one-party dictatorship on Nigerians. We are confident that if Nigerians are allowed to express their political preferences through a free and fair election, APC will be roundly rejected as the PDP remains the only credible, acceptable alternative platform that could deliver good governance for Nigeria.”

They accused the APC and the federal government of deploying unlawful threats, intimidation and underhand tactics against opposition governors.

“When Mr. President directly and prejudicially regretted in his recent interview that Zamfara State is governed by another party other than his own, it was a clear subtle threat to the governor of the state to join him or face the consequences,” they stated.

The governors alleged that threats had been deployed by the APC Caretaker /National Convention Planning Committee to make opposition governors join APC.

Wike: We Risked Our Lives to Keep Matawalle in PDP

Wike yesterday took a swipe at Matawalle for betraying the opposition party.

He said PDP governors risked their lives by travelling on what he described as, “very terribly bad road” from Sokoto to Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, to appeal to Matawalle not to leave PDP.

He stated that none of the three governors who have so far defected to APC have told Nigerians why they left PDP, adding that they left to seek political relevance and protection from prosecution from the Buhari administration.

Wike spoke during an interview with ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers.

He said: “I have never taken such a risk in my life, flying down to Sokoto with my colleagues and travelling by very bad road from Sokoto to Zamfara and of course the issue of insecurity for three hours. We went to see our colleague and you can’t understand what your colleague was saying.”

He advised the PDP to go to court to challenge Matawalle’s defection, as it was the party which went to court to challenge the none-adherence to the Electoral Act by the APC, which led to the Supreme Court judgment that paved the way for Matawalle to become governor.

“PDP went to court to say that the APC did not fulfil the Electoral Act; they did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act because INEC said there was no primary and INEC said every party must conduct primary,” he added.

Wike, however, was optimistic that many APC bigwigs will defect to the PDP as the 2023 general election approaches, adding that he will not advise anyone to defect from the APC to PDP now because not everyone can face the persecution of the APC-led federal government.

He said: “So, many people in APC cannot now openly defect to PDP. You must be very careful with fear of being hunted; for fear of now going to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); it is not easy but I can tell you, you will see what will happen as we move next year towards going to the period when Buhari’s tenure will expire.

“You will see. Many people will come out at that time; the president will not have anything to do. But if anybody tries it now, then you must be prepared to face the consequences, so it’s not easy.”

PDP Renews Legal Battle to Unseat Uzodimma

Meanwhile, the PDP has filed a fresh document, requiring the listing of the suit it filed seeking to sack the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, at the Supreme Court.

Investigation revealed that the suit will soon be listed for hearing at the apex court.

According to a PDP source, the suit, filed last year by the main opposition party is now ripe for hearing because some processes were recently filed by some of the parties.

The source said the PDP, through its lawyer, Mr. Phillips Umeadi (SAN), recently filed a fresh document, requiring the listing of the case for hearing.

The source added that what is left is for the Deputy Registrar (Litigation) to liaise with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) for a hearing date, after which parties would be notified.

The PDP, in the suit, is seeking an order of the Supreme Court to reverse its decision that removed Hon. Emeka Ihedioha from office as governor of Imo State.

Respondents in the motion on notice, filed by the PDP in an earlier appeal by Ugwumba Nwosu, marked: SC/1384/2019 is: Nwosu, the Action Peoples Party (APP), governorship candidate, Uche Nnadi and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The PDP, in the appeal, is claiming that it was wrong for the court to declare Uzodimma of the APC the winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Imo State after disqualifying Nwosu from contesting on the grounds that he allowed himself to be nominated as the governorship candidate of both the Action Alliance and APC for the same election.

It wants the court to declare that both the AA and the APC did not sponsor any candidate for the election in view of Nwosu’s double nomination by the AA and APC and his subsequent disqualification by the court in its judgment given on December 20, 2019.

PDP wants the court to order INEC to issue a certificate of return to Ihedioha, its candidate in the election, “as the duly elected governor of Imo State, having scored the second-highest number of votes in the said election sequel to the judgment of this court in Appeal No: SC/1462/2019 – Senator Hope Uzodinma & another v. Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha & others delivered on January 14, 2020.”