Again, APC talks tough on Atiku over attack on judicial system

Again, APC talks tough on Atiku over attack on judicial system

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as baseless, the reaction  from the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar over the recent court judgements upturning some electoral victories initially won by PDP candidates.

Recall that in two separate statements on Monday, both Atiku and PDP has respectively alleged that the judiciary was under pressure from an imaginary committee  set up to secure judicial outcomes in favour of APC.

However, in a statement signed by APC National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka, he said “Like a badly broken record, Atiku repeated his bogus claim that the opposition was being muzzled to pave way for a one-party state”

He noted that APC is a party that has regards for the rules of law and any attempt to taint it otherwise will be resisted as no committee was set up by the party to influence the outcome of the judicial process.

“Our’s is a progressive  Party that subscribes unreservedly to time honoured fundamental constitutional principle of seperation of powers, and abiding commitment to the independence of the judiciary. The PDP is bereft of these values and, sadly, they cannot imagine a Ruling Party with a modus operandi that is quite unlike its crooked, ruthless, lawless old self in power. APC is not the PDP and should not be tainted with the PDP’s indelible badge of dishonor and disloyalty to the rule of law and constitutional democracy.

“To be clear, at no time was any committee empaneled or tasked with exerting any kind of pressure on the Justices of any court regarding electoral or any matters. Under previous and present APC-administrations, the judiciary has demonstrated extreme courage, vibrancy and independence of thought and action as empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And we urge that they continue to do so inspite of the PDP’s strident attempts to discredit, blackmail and cow the judiciary to execute its electoral whims and caprices.

“Atiku and his PDP are deservedly haunted by ghosts from their inglorious past.  Their unjustified war of attrition against the judiciary is despicable and condemnable. The proposition that when the PDP wins in court, democracy is healthy and the judiciary vibrant, but when verdicts come down against them, then the judiciary and other democratic institutions must be dismantled at their behest, is vain, senseless and a flagrant disregard for basic tenets of the rule of law and constitutionalism.”

He went further by reminding Atiku on how in 2019, APC fell victim of credible court verdicts in many States and urged PDP to learn such sportsmanship spirit from it.

“In 2019, courts upturned the electoral victories of the APC Governor of Zamfara and members of the House of Assembly members and handed victory to the PDP. Again, in Rivers State, our party’s candidates for all elective positions were barred from contesting,  paving way for a sweeping victory for the PDP. Worse still, our party lost the Governorship of Bayelsa state to the PDP by force of a court judgement. In all, we never called the integrity of the judiciary into question. 

“But when the same judiciary, relying on the same laws of our land, renders judgements in favour of our great Party, the PDP goes beserk, spewing gibberish and peddling barefaced falsehoods. Ostensibly, the PDP has lost the capacity to manage its affairs and frustrations, and now lashes out, unjustifiably, at our veritable democratic institutions. 

“Again we strongly recommend the PDP for advanced institutional therapy, purge itself of base and anti-democratic proclivities, and reorganize for mature and responsible opposition politics or wind down altogether.”