PDP: Supreme Court verdict on Imo ‘unfortunate’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it was `unfortunate’ that the Supreme Court refused to correct its mistake on its verdict over Imo governorship election.
 
The party said this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to the apex court verdict on the PDP’s application, seeking the review of earlier decision by the court.
 
“It is indeed unfortunate that the Supreme Court had the wholesome opportunity to redeem itself and correct its errors, but choose to hide behind technicality to justify and endorse an electoral fraud.
 
“What Nigerians expected of the Supreme Court, since the error in its earlier judgement that had been fully established, was to summon the courage to affirm its infallibility by correcting the errors and handing over victory to the rightful winner. Sadly, it failed to do so,” Ologbondiyan said.
 
He said the verdict of the Supreme Court on the review of its judgement on Imo governorship election was a disconcerting endorsement of electoral fraud.
 
“The PDP, however, notes that in the face of the sad verdict, Justice Chima Nweze’s judgment presents a glimpse of hope for our nation’s judiciary.
 
“Our party abides completely by every word of the judgement of Justice Nweze as treated facts, which are truly sacred.
 
“Justice Nweze’s pronouncement, which went straight into the substance of our application, represents a universal view about the travesty of justice that occurred in the Imo governorship election judgment,” he said.
 
Ologbondiyan said that what the Supreme Court had done in the judgement was to uphold and legalise the writing of election results by individual contestants against the will of the people as expressed at the poll.
 
“As a party, we hold that on this judgement, all election stakeholders must rally to create remedies for this pathetic situation created by the Supreme Court in the Imo governorship election before our entire electoral process becomes vanquished.
 
‘This judgement will continue to haunt the Supreme Court. It has created a burden of precedence and fallibility on the court.
 
“More distressing is the fact that the judgement has heavily detracted the confidence Nigerians and the international community reposed on the Supreme Court and our entire jurisprudence.