PDP: APC Plotting to Influence Outcome of Petitions at Tribunal

*Urges judiciary to resist intimidation 

*Your allegation is cheap blackmail, Keyamo replies

Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has raised the alarm over reports and allegations of plots by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to influence the outcome the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, ahead of the commencement of its proceedings today.

The opposition party also charged the justices of the presidential election tribunal to rise above board and resist any intimidation from any quarter.
But the Minister of  State for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, has described  the  allegation as reverse psychology and cheap blackmail.

Addressing the press at the party’s national secretariat, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said the alleged planned onslaught by APC leaders on eminent Nigerians and democratic institutions, including the Judiciary, stemmed from APC’s apprehensions given the weight of evidence against it as well as the continuing refusal by majority of Nigerians to accept the outcome of the flawed Presidential election.

“There are apprehensions in the public space, having regards to the reputation of certain individuals within the highest level of the APC, who have demonstrated capacity and proclivity to compromise democratic institutions in our country.  

“It would be recalled that on Friday, May 5, 2023, our party raised the alarm over the massively condemned comments by the APC Presidential Candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the commissioning of some judiciary projects in Port Harcourt Rivers State, wherein he attempted to corrupt, cultivate and patronise the Judiciary.

“More alarming are allegations in the public space of attempts by certain APC leaders to compromise the judiciary with heavy financial inducement and to orchestrate trumped-up allegations of impropriety against judicial officers,” he stated.  
The PDP, therefore, called on the APC and its leaders to immediately come clean and publicly address Nigerians and the world on the allegations and revelations, which were already in the public domain.

“For emphasis, majority of Nigerians are insisting on the review of the February 25, 2023 presidential election, because it was marred by wide-spread manipulations, open alteration of genuine election results from the Polling Units, allocation of fictitious figures to the APC and brazen violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022 as well as INEC Manual and Guidelines by INEC itself in its declaration of a winner of the election.

”The bizarre response by INEC, which is an umpire that ought to be independent, to the petition of the PDP and our candidate, Atiku Abubakar, requesting for the dismissal of our Petition, is further evidence of the complicity, corruption and compromise of INEC by the APC.

“It is instructive for INEC and the APC to note that the tribunal hearing is part of the electoral process. The APC and INEC are therefore advised to halt further steps to hinder the ability of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to dispense justice in the matter in accordance with the law,” he said.
The party restated its call on the judiciary to resist and insulate itself from the alleged and reported antics of the APC in the discharge of its constitutional duties as independent and impartial arbiter in the pending petition before the tribunal.

“It is imperative to state that the reckless violation by INEC of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines and Manual in the 2023 Presidential election portend grave consequences to our democracy and political stability as a country.
”The only way to guarantee peace, unity and stability of our nation is to uphold the Will of the people as expressed at the Polling Units in the February 25, 2023 Presidential election and the PDP is confident in the ability of the Judiciary to discharge its Constitutional duties in this regard independently,” he stated.