Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the Chief Justice of the Nigeria, Justice Kayode Ariwola, over what it described as intimidation of the Justice Tukur-led National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in the state by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP had earlier petitioned the CJN alleging bias in the tribunal’s rulings that overturned some national and state assembly elections won by the PDP in the state.
The party had alleged deliberate perversion of justice and conspiracy to remove the party’s elected candidates from parliament.
But, in the petition to CJN signed by the APC state Secretary, Miskoom Fidelis Longban, and state Publicity Secretary, Sylvanus Namang, the APC expressed regret that the petition was capable of portraying the party in bad light.
The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to a petition emanating from the Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), addressed to the National Judicial Council and signed by the state chairman, Chris Hassan, and the state PRO, Mr. John Akans, against the trio of Justices B.M. Tukur, O. Elekwa, and A.O. Adetujoye, over their sound, meticulous and scrupulous judgment on the national and state assembly election petitions tribunal.
“In the petition dated Monday, September 25, 2023, they alleged deliberate perversion of justice and conspiracy to remove their party’s candidates from parliament.
“Though we are not holding brief for the three learned Justices, we are duty-bound to react to the said petition because of the insinuations which tend to portray our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in bad light. We are not only greatly saddened by this crass display of mischief and bad behavior, but we also feel disappointed with the development. Suffice it to mention here that since the governorship and national/state assembly election petitions tribunal began sitting in Jos, we have noticed how the Peoples Democratic Party has continued to inundate the public and social media space with all manners of physical threats, social media bullying, as well as contemptuous and vile statements against the integrity of the highly respected Judges. We are not, therefore, surprised that the PDP has come up with this mischievous petition.
“In the said petition, they have particularly singled out Justice B.M. Tukur-led national and state assembly election petitions tribunal for frontal media assaults simply because it has stood on the part of justice while delivering its judgments, sacking some PDP candidates from office.
“One aspect of the judgments, which vindicates our position and affirms the decision of the two Jos High Courts, and the Court of Appeal, is the fact that the PDP in Plateau State does not only lack a valid structure for sponsoring candidates for election following its stubborn refusal to conduct an acceptable congress at the ward, local government and state levels, it is also in flagrant disobedience to several court orders.
“Furthermore, it is rather sad that in spite of the fact that section 285(7) of the 1999 Constitution provides for an appeal against any unsatisfactory decision of the Tribunal, the PDP has strangely resorted to its usual antics of blackmail through the so-called petition. This is even when the PDP, in a rather speculative manner, has not established any concrete ground for such a petition.”
The APC accused the PDP of a ploy to unnecessarily harass and cajole the judiciary into doing their biddings, as a pre-emptive move against impending verdicts of the Appeal Court. “To say the least, this action portrays a deliberate assault on democracy, independence of the Judiciary and the rule of law,” the statement further said.