PDP tackles Sagay over attack on Supreme Court Justices

 

By Shola Abayomi.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has joined in criticism of the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay for denigrating the integrity of the Justices of the Supreme Court over its ruling on Rivers and Zamfara states’ election.

The Supreme Court had recently nullified the participation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the general election in Rivers and Zamfara states.

Reacting to the judgement, Prof. Sagay advised the APC legal team to apply to the Supreme Court for a review of its judgments, claiming that the ruling of the apex court was a “travesty of justice.”

Responding to Sagay’s comments, the PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said that Sagay’s comment had also revealed the level of condescension and contempt the APC government under President Muhammadu Buhari has for the Justices of the Supreme Court.

Ologbondiyan berated Sagay for tagging the verdicts of the Court as a “national tragedy, unimaginable injustice,” and for suggesting that the ruling of the apex court be rejected, was a call for anarchy.

Ologbondiyan further said: “There is no way Prof. Sagay, a professor of Law, can justify his call for the rejection of the Supreme Court judgment on Zamfara and Rivers states, as the judgments are in protection of rule of law, democratic ethos as well as the wishes and aspirations of the people over the attempt by the APC to take control of their states through manipulations and awarding of fictitious votes to their candidates.

“Our party believes that such intentional attack on the integrity of the Supreme Court can only emanate from feverish apprehensions by the Buhari’s presidency and the APC that they might not have their way in the presidential election petition, hence this resort to blackmail.

“As a law-abiding party, the PDP holds the integrity of the justices as well as the institution of the judiciary very high and do not support this attempt by agents of the APC to clip and sequester the judiciary for their partisan interests.”

The PDP therefore called on the Supreme Court Justices to note the machinations of the APC and continue to be firm in upholding justice as has been demonstrated in the judgments on Rivers and Zamfara states elections, which serve as lessons to political parties to adhere strictly to rules of internal democracy in our electoral processes.”