The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday continued to deny its alleged involvement in the Directorate of State Security (DSS) search of the Akwa Ibom Government House.
The National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the denial at a news conference in Lagos, saying the party was not privy to the reasons for search.
Mohammed said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had accused the APC of working in cahoot with the DSS to upturn the Akwa Ibom Governorship Election it purportedly won.
“We have no doubt that the security agency acted within its area of competence and authority.
“We do not see any connection between the search by the DSS and our candidate’s petition before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal,’’ Mohammed said.
He said that the party rejected any attempt by the PDP to cite the DSS action as another instance of the APC-led Federal Government supposed plan to influence the work of the tribunal.
“To be sure, our government will never micromanage the judiciary and we also hereby restate our strong believe in the ability of the courts to do their work without fear or favour.
“We in the APC implore the PDP to have confidence in our judiciary and to stop peddling lies about the work of the Akwa Ibom Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the role of the security agencies.
“They should deploy their energy to make their case at the tribunal instead of whipping up emotions that have nothing to do with reality,’’ he said.
Mohammed said that a sticking point in the hearing of the Governorship Election Petitions filed by the APC governorship candidates in the Niger Delta had been the role of the security agencies, including the military and the DSS.
`We want to state clearly that the military and other security agencies were deployed to the states in the Niger Delta to secure the last general elections.
“And they are to ensure the safety of the voters because of the threats posed by violence before, during and after the polls.
“That deployment was beyond the APC,’’ Mohammed said.
He appealed to its supporters in Akwa Ibom to remain peaceful but vigilant and repose their confidence in the ability of the Tribunal to do justice to the petition.
