Attempts to scuttle PEPT decision portends danger for Nigeria’s democracy, Coalition warns desperate politicians

A Coalition of civil society organisations has called on Nigerians to beware of grand designs by a clique of desperate politicians to destabilise the polity with inciting campaigns, pre-empting the likely verdicts of the Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal (PEPT) and Gubernatorial Elections Tribunal particularly that of the nation’s economic nerve centre – Lagos State.

In a statement jointly singed by the twelve CSOs Coalition Convener, Hameed Balogun and Secretary, Comrade Alex Omotehinse of the Committee for Socio-Economic Research Centre, the group of CSOs expressed its displeasure for much concerted effort of some groups of individuals to thwart the Election Petition Tribunals both at the Presidential and Governorship level.

The Coalition maintained that the various groups and individuals had hitherto conspiratorially heat up the polity with subtle insinuations of the possibilities of miscarriage of justice by Elections Tribunals entertaining the last Presidential and Governorship elections.

“As both the Presidential and Lagos Gubernatorial Petitions Tribunals have concluded hearings from parties and reserve the announcement of dates for declaration of their verdicts, the nation has been awash with negative campaigns capable of provoking mass unrest in the country.

The Coalition also cited the egregious allegations that former Minister and Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola is drafting judgements for the various elections petitions tribunals. Equally noted the subtle blackmail of judiciary an insidious mass, publicity campaigns of “All Eyes on the Judiciary” across the country.

It recalled the similitude of the major petitioners from the opposition parties – Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Labour Party, LP – in elections petitions tribunals with a clearly common deduction from the kernels of their cases challenged as well as tendered virtually the same grounds for disqualification and cancellation of the Presidential and Lagos Gubernatorial elections.

“The PDP and LP in the Presidential Elections Petitions sort; disqualification of Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the grounds of alleged dual citizenship, academic and criminal records while, Shettima is alleged to be guilty of double nominations.

“In the same rationale, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is to be disqualified on the strength of an academic record on General Certificate of Education, GCE submitted in 2008, while Dr. Obafemi Hamzat is to be disqualified for swearing oath of allegiance as citizen of the United States of America.

This, according to the Coalition is never accidental but a highly orchestrated plot to sow the seeds of confusion.

The group thereby, clarified that the plans of the major opposition parties ab initio, after losing out in the last general elections was to foment crisis, protests and chaos.

“It took huge pressure to convince their archaic, anarchistic, anti-democratic mind sets that the correct paths to toe under constitutional democracy is to seek redress in the court of law. Lagos, as the Commercial Capital City of Nigeria has always been in envious compass of those against the country’s unity and progress, marked out for destabilisation. It behoves on the entire civil populace to massively prevent this plot!”

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The Coalition calls on the media, the general public and the relevant security agencies to closely monitor the activities of these unpatriotic elements masquerading within opposition politics to unleash their malevolent agenda.

“The plot is thickened to draw the nation into another orgies of violence, brigandage, lootings and wanton destructions using the #EndSars templates.

“Unwary Nigerians and the security personnels are advised to be informed and wary of the crafty machinations of these detractors of our budding attempts at democratic governance.

“All social subterfuges and political gimmicks to mobilise processions, rallies and protests on the verdicts of elections petitions tribunals would inevitably degenerate to a threat to public peace, safety of lives and properties.

The Coalition noted further that: “The trend becomes more worrisome with the military coming to state that it has received invitations to undertake a take over. This is not just grave but very sensitive and volatile. It is not just a threat to democratic governance. It is treasonable felony! It must be addressed with all the gravity.

“It may suffice to re-emphasise that there are abundant peaceful and constitutional institutionalism for resolving all issues without resort to self-help. Needless to state that the Supreme Court will intervene on the verdicts of the Tribunals.

“More importantly, as a people and country, we are facing serious security, socio economic challenges, peace and stability are minimum desideratum to come out of the duodenum.

All hands must be on deck to protect our nascent democracy and salvage the country.

“Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty and democratic good governance”.