Labour Party (LP) has tackled President Bola Tinubu for allegedly warning the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPEC) that interpreting the law as provided for in the constitution on the 25 per cent of lawful votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to declare a winner for the presidential elction could “lead to absurdity, chaos, anarchy and alteration of the very intention of the legislature.”
The party also warned the public to be watchful of the All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming the ruling party was mounting pressure on the judiciary to get favorable judgment.
LP described the statement by Tinubu to PEPEC as unnecessary since the matter was already before the court, saying going ahead to pontificate on it could be construed as interference in the duties and responsibilities of the judiciary.
LP Acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh in a statement, yesterday, said: “We are worried that the statement which formed part of his submissions and was contained in his final written address against the Labour Party’s petition pending at the PREPEC, and meant to be in the exclusive custody of the court was leaked to the media. We still do not know the reason behind this act of desperation, even when the matter is still pending in court. We will however be careful not to term the action as sub-judice.
“The truth of the matter is that there are no sentiments when it comes to matters of law. The law is the law and once the law has stipulated the manner and how a matter must be carried out, it must follow that pattern. If the law has stated the requirement that a presidential candidate must meet before he can be declared, there is no shortcut to it. Therefore, if the constitution which is the ground norm of the law in Nigeria has stated clearly that you must score at least 25 percent in FCT before the president can be declared, anything short of that cannot remedy it.
“It is on this note that we request that caution must be applied by the camp of the APC in its subtle but very clear pressure believed, is being mounted on the judiciary to see the developments from its lance.”
LP said no amount of threat from APC on judges in the tribunal could change the processes and requirements that the law has put in place.
“It must be followed and that is the position of the Labour Party. We recall very clearly a mild but stern threat during the ‘Democracy Day’ Speech made by the APC-led administration where it stated emphatically that “It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated.” We noted then that the warning appeared threatening enough as it sounded more totalitarian but today we are confronted with a sterner approach to whipping the judiciary into a pathway, a development if allowed unchallenged will spell doom for the nation.”
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