The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday alleged that the Supreme Court under Justice Tanko Muhammad, as Chief Justice of Nigeria, had been heavily compromised.
The PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, during a media briefing in Abuja, added that the apex court had lost credibility.
According to Secondus, the Supreme Court, under Tanko’s leadership, has been annexed “to execute the ignoble agenda of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government against the Nigerian people.”
Secondus was reacting to the Tuesday judgment of the Supreme Court, which nullified the electoral victory of Emeka Ihedioha, in the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Imo State.
The apex court removed Ihedioha, who had been Imo State governor since May last year, and replaced him with Hope Uzodinma, who contested the election on the platform of the APC.
At the press briefing on Thursday, Secondus described the Supreme Court’s verdict as a miscarriage of justice.
He said, “The National Working Committee of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, after a thorough examination of all the issues relating to the miscarriage of justice by the Supreme Court on the Imo State governorship election petition, and after a very extensive consultation, resolves as follows:
“That the Supreme Court, as presently constituted under Justice Tanko Muhammad, has become heavily compromised; lost its credibility and is now annexed to execute the ignoble agenda of the APC-led Federal Government against the Nigerian people.
“That the judgment of the Supreme Court, voiding the lawful election of Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, who scored 276,404 votes, and awarding fictitious votes to declare Hope Uzodimma of the APC, who scored 96, 458 votes, as governor of Imo State, is highly irrational, unfounded, a provocative product of executive manipulation and a recipe for crisis, which should not be allowed to stand.”
The PDP national chairman claimed that the ‘results’ from the 388 polling units were rightfully rejected by the tribunal and Court of Appeal, which had earlier upheld Ihedioha’s victory.
Secondus said the Supreme Court was wrong to have awarded votes in the 388 polling units to Uzodinma.
The PDP chairman said the party had intelligence before the verdict that the hierarchy of the APC had decided that they would use the Supreme Court to capture states, such as Imo, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa and Benue won and controlled by the PDP.
Secondus said the PDP had it on good authority that Justice Tanko and his panel allegedly worked on the instructions of certain forces in the Presidency.
He warned that as any attempt to subvert justice in the pending petitions in Sokoto, Bauchi, Benue, Adamawa as well as Kano and Plateau states would be firmly and vehemently resisted.
He said that in other to avoid an imminent breakdown of law and order, the PDP demands that Justice Tanko immediately step down as the CJN and chairman of the National Judicial Council as, according to him, Nigerians have lost confidence in him and the Supreme Court under his leadership.
