Imo: Supreme Court’s verdict a coup against Nigerians –PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described Tuesday’s Supreme Court judgement  which sacked Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State as a coup against Nigerians.

CRISPNG had earlier reported the court’s judgement which affirmed Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the actual winner of the March 9 governorship election in the state, citing irregularities in the results which produced Ihedioha as governor.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, described the court’s judgement as a coup against the people of Imo state and by extension, Nigerians.

He stated the development was a confirmation of an earlier intelligence made available to the party that the ruling APC had already concluded plans states won by the PDP using the apex court.

According to him, the judgement was indicative of the fast-eroding credibility of the judiciary under Justice Tanko Mohammed.

The party called on Mohammed to immediately step down as CJN and chairman of the National Judicial Council as Nigerians have lost confidence in him and a Supreme Court under his leadership.

His words: “With the verdict, the Supreme Court executed a coup against the PDP and the people of Imo state as well as other Nigerians, and such must not be allowed to have a place in our democracy.

“What is more perplexing is the fact that INEC produced a schedule of reasons why results were not produced from the 388 units. Indeed election did not even take place in most of the units for one reason or another, like violence, etc and so no result could possibly be obtained from those units. The results were not merely rejected or cancelled by INEC. None of the candidates or their Counsel, except perhaps APC, as we speak, are aware of the number of votes scored by each party from the 388 polling units. The tribunal or Court of Appeal did not mention or ascribe any figure from the units to any party in their decisions.

“In fact, in the cross examination of the APC candidate, Hope Uzodinma, he could not read any figure from the “Oluwole” results. He said that the figures were not clear. And so it beats our imagination where the Supreme Court conjured and manufactured the figures it used in declaring Uzodinma/APC as duly elected. How then did the Supreme Court arrive at its decision to allocate results to void a lawful governorship election and imposed an unelected person as governor?

“The fact is that, the Supreme Court, as presently constituted under Justice Tanko, has lost its credibility and no longer commands the respect and confidence of Nigerians. If the people no longer repose confidence in the Supreme Court, then our democracy, national cohesion and stability are at great risk.

“We had intelligence before the verdict on Imo that the hierarchy of APC had decided that they must use the Supreme Court to capture states won and controlled by the PDP such as Imo, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa and Benue. Can the PDP rightly trust the impartiality and independence of the panel headed by Justice Tanko Mohammed, the CJN, to adjudicate on the remaining cases involving the PDP like Kano, Sokoto, Benue, Bauchi, Adamawa, Plateau and others?

“Is the same fate awaiting the governors of these states that are controlled by the PDP and other states like Kano where the PDP clearly won and was robbed? Should Justice Tanko Mohammed and his colleagues on the Imo Governorship Panel not recuse themselves from the remaining cases involving PDP?

“In other to avoid an imminent breakdown of law and order, the PDP demands that Justice Tanko Mohammed immediately steps down as CJN and chairman of the National Judicial Council as Nigerians have lost confidence in him and a Supreme Court under his leadership. Justice Tanko must not head the panel to determine the remaining election petitions before the Supreme Court.”