Atiku’s aide faults court rulings sacking PDP members

A media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has criticised court judgments on election petitions sacking members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing them as judgments and not justice.

Ibe, in a statement on Monday, also said that democracy in Nigeria is in a state of “ill health” due to the “compromise” of the judiciary in deciding electoral cases.

He faulted the judgments of the election tribunal and appeal court removing PDP senators, House of Representatives members in Plateau and the governor of the state.

“Sadly and suddenly, we have seen a trend whereby the range of opposition engagement continues to be narrowed by the ruling party in Nigeria”, Ibe said, alleging that the election petition tribunal and appeal courts are favouring and “doing the bidding” of the ruling party.

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The statement reads further: “It has become increasingly apparent that the democracy in Nigeria is in a state of ill health.

“It gets more curious that all the states where the courts have made controversial declarations are states being controlled by the opposition political parties.

“From Nassarawa, Kano, Zamfara and now to Plateau State where we are witnessing a situation in which what the ruling party missed out on Election Day is being delivered to them through the courts.

“These are clearly ominous signs that threaten not just our faith in the electoral and judicial system.

“As Justice Dattijo Muhammad said in his valedictory speech which has also been buttressed by Olumide Akpata, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, the judgments emanating from courts in recent times have been questionable and show obvious compromise.

“As Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) put it recently, the judiciary under military dictatorship was much more courageous and had better integrity than what we have today.”