•Tanimu Turaki
The Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the Supreme Court will put an end to the leadership tussle in the party.
The party, which said it has filed an appeal against move by the Nyesom Wike-backed faction to open the party’s secretariat, accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of orchestrating crisis in the party, reports Daily Independent.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, berated the Wike-backed faction that just concluded its national convention, saying it was held in contempt of the Court of Appeal.
“With the series of disturbing activities occurring in succession within the last 48 hours, genuine members of the Peoples Democratic Party across the country have expressed their concerns and are asking what the future holds for the party and our country’s democracy, by extension.
“To them, and other fair-minded, democracy-loving Nigerians, we reassure that we have taken this battle to the Supreme Court for the determination of all the issues relating to the leadership of our party, particularly as it relates to what constitutes an internal affair.
With this appeal and the relevant concomitant applications filed and served on all the parties involved, we are hopeful that sooner, rather than later, the apex court will, in the interest of democracy, expeditiously hear and adjudicate on this matter.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we state that the pre-Easter jamboree of APC sympathisers and members of ‘Wike’s Autocratic Party,’ which they mischievously tagged a PDP convention, was held in contempt of the Court of Appeal, where parties had entered appearances and agreed with the court on the way to proceed with the matter, only to turn around and undertake acts capable of destroying the res.
“Furthermore, they were served with the processes of the appeal at the Supreme Court, as well as other suits challenging the holding of the said convention. The validity of that gathering is now a matter before the court, which we will diligently follow to its conclusion.”
On the judgment delivered yesterday morning favouring Wike-backed group, granting them access to the party’s secretariat, the Turaki-led PDP said, “Additionally, the Federal High Court, Abuja, per Justice Abdulmalik, whom we had earlier applied to for recusal on the basis of her bias against us, expectedly delivered judgment this morning in favour of the Wike-backed APC apologists, granting them access to the PDP secretariat and directing security agencies to offer them protection while in occupation of the said secretariat. In response, we have directed our lawyers to immediately file an appeal and other relevant applications against this judgment.
“On the whole, we must admit what is already public knowledge — these are very trying times for us, the PDP, and all opposition parties in Nigeria.
“These crises are clearly orchestrated by the Bola Tinubu-led APC government, who have shown morbid fear for the existence of alternative political platforms, and are determined to foist a one-party state on the country.
“This fear is fuelled by their knowledge of the impending rejection Nigerians are waiting to serve them because of their abysmal performance in core governance issues like security, the economy, and social welfare.
“We urge our members and all Nigerians to keep hope alive in the sincere expectation that the apex court will come to the rescue of multi-party democracy in the appeal before them.
“The Supreme Court now has the historic opportunity to uphold and defend the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its earlier decisions on the jurisdiction of courts in internal affairs of political parties, when it has its final say.”
