There are indications that the resolve by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to demand the review of the Supreme Court judgement on the 2019 presidential election has been generating fresh tension in the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The PDP had on Monday issued a strong warning that the APC has been abusing the Nigerian judiciary and intimidating the courts and judges on election cases; the PDP, therefore, in provocation, demanded the review of the Supreme Court judgement on the 2019 presidential election, in addition to several other governorship election judgements.
A party source disclosed that the legal team of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, held a meeting after the PDP declaration and demand for review on Monday. The legal team was said to be considering issues of issues of review in the judgement beyond the certificate scandal.
The PDP had at a press conference in Abuja on Monday raised alarm over what the party considered desperation of the APC to subjugate, intimidate for the purpose of annexing the Supreme Court over Imo, Bayelsa and Zamfara governorship election judgements.
The Party acknowledging the seeming abuse of the judiciary by the APC, decided to challenge the presidential election judgment in response to perceived unnecessary return to the Supreme Court by the APC for review of judgment on the Bayelsa and Zamfara states governorship elections, after PDP had challenged the judgement on Imo State. The PDP felt that APC had not coordinated itself properly in recent court processes and judgements, leading to the ridicule of the judiciary and Nigerian judges, in as much as PDP had respected previous judgements in favour of APC in Osun, Kano, and others.
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Thus, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary, at a press conference in Abuja on Monday declared: “Consequently, the National Working Committee of the PDP, after comprehensive consultations, states that our party has no choice left, given the manner with which the APC has conducted itself, than to ask for a review of the judgement of the Presidential election petition tribunal, where the issue of certificate forgery and or presentation of false information in aid of qualifications was clearly established against the APC and her presidential candidate.
“The same applies to the judgment on the Katsina governorship election petition, where lawyers also established similar issue of certificate forgery.
“The PDP equally has no choice than to ask the Supreme Court to review the Kano, Kaduna and Katsina election judgments, because of manifest violence and substantial non-compliance to our electoral law.
“The PDP also asks the Supreme Court to review its judgement on the Osun Governorship election in view of manifest, complete and total disregard to our electoral rules in the conduct of the elections.
“Our party will not fold its hands and watch enemies of our hard-earned democracy, who contributed nothing to its birth, to continue to appropriate our collective sovereignty for their selfish political gains while destroying our institutions and holding our people to ransom.”
The PDP had earlier expressed it wish to bring to the attention of the world that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is all out to destabilize the nation and destroy the hard-earned democracy. The National Publicity Secretary was of the view that the time has come for all Nigerians to stand in unity to defend the nation and salvage it from political marauders and oppressive elements.
The declaration of the PDP has since Monday placed Atiku under pressure to consider returning to the Supreme Court, which sources said has been giving the presidency and the ruling APC sleepless nights.
The Supreme Court had in its judgement upheld the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.