The fireworks between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the build up to the September 19 governorship election in Edo State have been taken to higher altitude. The PDP on Thursday cautioned the APC against plots to intimidate or blackmail the judiciary and judges in the scheme to choose a court or judge that will deliver favourable judgement to the party in the suits pending before the courts.
Accordingly, Chairman, PDP Sub-committee Media and Publicity, Edo 2020 Campaign Council, Chris Osa Nehikhare, at a press conference on Thursday in Benin City, alerted the public of the ceaseless attacks on the Judiciary, the last hope of the common man by the APC.
Chris Osa Nehikhare narrated that on Monday, August 24, 2020, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John T. Tsoho, granted the application filed by APC for the transfer of five cases bordering on the September 19 gubernatorial election in Edo State, which have been running in the Benin Division of the Federal High Court. He noted that the cases were transferred on the request of the APC, in which the party alleged that Justices in the entire Benin Division of the Federal High Court have shown bias against the party (APC); thus, the party feared it would not get justice from these respected Judges.
PDP contended that “with this singular action of the APC, the party has denigrated the entire judiciary, attacked its integrity and independence to do its job, scandalized and vilified the respected Judges in these courts.” The party further protested that the APC also made wild and unsubstantiated allegations of bias against Justice M. G. Umar of the Federal High Court Benin and Justice Taiwo Taiwo in Abuja; thus, assaulted their character.
The PDP, therefore, declared: “after a careful appraisal of this development, we have come to the conclusion that the APC is out on a mission to pick and choose which court will hear their cases, a dangerous practice where litigants select the particular courts that they want their cases heard, and which they believe will give them favorable judgments.
“Is the APC telling Nigerians that the party has some courts that will give them favourable judgments, and another set of courts that shows bias against them?
“This portends great danger to our fledgling democracy and society, and an attempt by the APC to arm-twist the judiciary and force judges to bow to their tune.”
PDP further decried that APC also alleged there is insecurity in Edo State even when the facts on ground show clearly that the state is secure.
“In fact, the few pockets of unrest we have witnessed in the state were orchestrated by the APC leaders and their proxies, and we can deduce that APC leaders may have instigated the unrest to serve as alibi for the transfer application of their cases, which the party has now secured,” PDP stated.