The National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and governorship candidate of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu Samdaddy, has rejected the tribunal verdict sacking the Director General of his campaign and Federal House of Representatives member representing Ideato Nation, Ugochinyere Ikenga.
This was contained in a press release signed by Mr. Ikenna ONUOHA, the Director, Media and Publicity for the Imo PDP Gubernatorial Campaign Council and reads as follows:
Few hours after a thorough review of the judgement of the Election Petition Tribunal which purportedly sacked the Member representing Ideato North and South federal constituency, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu has rejected the Tribunal's pronouncement in its entirety, and described it as not only a miscarriage of justice, but an ambush on the Nigeria's fragile democracy.
Anyanwu wonders how a pre-election matter which the Tribunal lacks jurisdiction to entertain after the Supreme Court had earlier given ruling in favour of the serving member, Hon Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu few months before his election could mysteriously resurface in the court contrary to judicial rules.
Most disheartening, our Governorship candidate views this ambush as embarrassing that a similar pre-election matter that was struck out by the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) few days ago in a suit filed against President Almed Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Senator Kashim Shetima by candidates of PDP and the Labour Parties respectively over their eligibility to contest the February 25, 2023 Presidential election could still be entertained.
In the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in Atiku Abubakar (PDP), and Peter Obi (Labour Party) verses Almed Bola Tinubu (APC), Kashim Shetima and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the learned justices posit that parties do not have jurisdiction in any pre-election matter. The question now is, why is the case of Ideato House of Representatives different from the one decided?
This ill-conceived judgement is not only a big blow to the Nigerian democracy, but a heavy crack on the rule of law in the country. Our campaign council and the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo state will not accept this obvious rape of justice until the judiciary redeems its image by correcting this charade.
While Nigerians expect the Appeal court to restore the confidence of the people on democracy and the judiciary by qaushing this induced verdict ostensibly meant to trigger panic in the state, the Imo PDP Governorship candidate therefore calls on judges to trade with caution in dispensing justice wrongly to avoid igniting the society with crisis.
While calling on the people of Ideato and PDP members in the state to remain calm and law abiding, Anyanwu assures that all legal avenues will be utilized to correct this abnormally.
