…Says it will petition NJC.
By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the judgment of the Kogi State High Court, which unlawfully voided its validly conducted primary for the Kogi State Governorship election, saying that it will write petition to the National Judicial Commission (NJC) on the trial judge.
In a Press Conference on Monday at the party’s National Headquarters Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said that the judgement has heavily detracted from the integrity of the Kogi High Court and threatens the reputation of the entire institution of the judiciary if not immediately quashed,
According to the party, “The judgment is a classic example of judicial rascality and scandalous travesty of justice which cannot stand, and for which our party will stop at nothing in exploring all legal avenues to immediately set it aside at the appellate courts.
“The conduct of the judge only confirmed widespread stand that the court had been externally induced, ethically challenged and politically compromised to undermine the case of the PDP at the Kogi governorship election tribunal.”
The party alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and agents of Governor Yahaya Bello administration had mounted pressure on the Court to corrupt itself by twisting a matter, which had nothing to do with the validity of its primary.
PDP recounted that the party, on the 3rd and 4th of November 2109, dully conducted its primary which was monitored and certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Engr. Musa Wada, who participated in the November 16th 2019 governorship election emerged winner.
“It is therefore instructive to state that the pre-election suit filed in the Kogi High Court by only one of our many aspirants in the primary, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim, only sought the court to declare him the winner of PDP primary election.
“All the parties agreed that the primary was valid and concluded. The only contention between Engineer Musa Wada and Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim was to determine who the actual winner was and nothing more.
“In determining the matter, the judge found that Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim did not establish his case that he won the primary. Instead of stopping at that, which is within the ambit of the reliefs sought and opposed in the court, the judge strangely went ahead to sacrilegiously deliver the script of the APC, to wit; declaring that the PDP Kogi State Governorship primaries was invalid and that PDP had no candidate for the Governorship election of 16th November, 2019.
“This is indeed another sad commentary for the judiciary” PDP lamented.
According to the party, the conduct of the judge is completely unethical, a direct abuse of the law and powers of the court to satisfy the interest of the APC and Governor Yahaya Bello, in their bid to frustrate the retrieval of our governorship mandate at the tribunal.
He said that PDP will take this matter to the very legitimate end and get redress at the appellate courts.
He said that the party believes that the ignoble conduct of the trial court does not represent the overall attitude of the judiciary.
He further disclosed that PDP intends to send a petition to the NJC against the trial judge, saying that his conduct amounted to gross misconduct, which the judiciary must not condone. “Such judicial officer should not be allowed to continue to bring the institution of our judiciary to disrepute,” he said.
