By: Rex Emmanuel
*Insists no going back on Election Tribunal
*Demands
release of Atiku’s Lawyer, son-in-law
Opposition
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Monday said it will petition the United
Nations over the militarisation of the presidential election by the federal
government.
This is coming
as the party insisted that it is going ahead to challenge the outcome of the
election in the Election Tribunal despite entreaties from several quarters for
the party to allow the election result to go unchallenged.
These were the
key decisions taken at an expanded meeting of the party’s National Caucus held
at the PDP national secretariat, Abuja.
Addressing
journalists after the meeting, the National Publicity Secretary, Kola
Ologbodiyan said that the “Caucus noted the role of the military in the
February 23 election and resolved that we will report the action of the
military through a petition to UN as well as other global democratic
institutions on the role of our military in the Feb 23 election.”
The party also
declared that the federal government is deploying the military to the Niger
Delta region to intimidate voters during the March 9 governorship election.
“On the
forthcoming governorship election, we decry the militarisation of the South
South and the rigging which the APC is plotting ahead of the election. We urge
Nigerians to come out en mass and participate in the election and ensure they vote
for the candidates of the PDP.
“Caucus
commended Nigerians for refusing the harassment, intimidation and
militarisation of the electoral process and participating in the election but
noted that the mandate that was freely given to our candidate was stolen and as
such the party and the candidate jointly resolved to go to the tribunal and
reaching the end of what is permissible within our legal system to get back our
mandate on behalf of Nigerians”, he said.
The PDP Caucus
condemned the “harassment, intimidation and cajoling of our members on the plot
by the Buhari presidency as well as APC to intimidate the people’s president,
former VP Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the resolve of the PDP to go to court by
insisting, blackmailing and saying that he should not go to court.
“We insist that
our party and our candidate have resolved to seek legal redress on the stolen
mandate.”
The PDP
dismissed the appeal by some political parties to Atiku not to go to Election
Tribunal and stressed that the political parties were sponsored by the
Presidency.
“We are aware,
in fact the information came on Saturday that the Buhari presidency and the APC
have paid some of the smaller parties to come out and urge Atiku not to go to
the tribunal, and today (Monday) stating that he should not go to the tribunal.
“If it is true
that President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC won this election, what is scaring
them? What are they afraid of coming to the tribunal? They should come to the
tribunal and present to the Justices how they won the election.
“For us in the
PDP and for our candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubay, our lawyers have been properly
briefed and as we speak they are set to file at the tribunal and we will surely
do that.
“Nobody can
intimidate our party, nobody will intimidate our candidate not to follow what
the law provides for, and we will do everything within the law to make sure
that this stolen mandate is retrieved.”
Speaking
earlier at the commencement of the Caucus meeting, the PDP National Chairman of
the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus demanded for the immediate release of Atiku’s
son-in-law and Lawyer who were arrested and detained by security operatives.
He also
declared that no amount of intimidation or harassment will stop PDP from
seeking justice.
“The decision
to go to court has been finalised and agreed and the process is on. The lawyers
have been assembled. We may be in court today or tomorrow. No one can stop us.
“No matter the
propaganda of APC we will seek justice till the last drop of our blood. We
believe justice will be done and God almighty will give justice”, he added.
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