The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger State has raised the alarm over alleged plots by some elements in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to compromise the Niger State Governorship Election Tribunal.
According to a statement made available to the media in Minna on Monday, the PDP said: “We know for a fact that the Niger State APC has made approaches through several fronts including enrolling past judicial officers to link up to the panel members.
“While we in the PDP have tremendous confidence in the judiciary, we have no reason yet to suspect that the members have been compromised in anyway or form. We have absolute confidence they will not.”
The statement signed by the Director of Communication, Umar Nasko Governorship Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Yahaya Mohammed Usman, said
that the suspicion of the PDP had been further reinforced by the persistent claims by some leaders of the APC “who have continued to mouth that nothing will come out of the tribunal, we have power and will do as we want”.
Usman however said the PDP “will continue to build a water tight case that will ensure that our stolen mandate is recovered and given back to the rightful owners”.
“We are very much aware of all the electoral malpractices and electoral frauds perpetrated during the sham governorship election. At the commencement of sitting, all the facts will be tendered before their lordships,” Usman said.
He therefore called on the “tribunal members to remain resolute and ensure justice is served so as to write their name in gold”.
However, the APC has dismissed the claim of the PDP, describing it as the “figment of the imagination of the drowning party”.
The Special Assistant to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello on Media and Communication, Mr Jide Orintunsin, said the PDP was known “for fake news and propaganda. We will not join them in the illegal act”.
Orintunsin said however that the APC and in particular Governor Bello “have no reason to try to compromise the tribunal because we won the election clean and clear”.
The governorship election tribunal after its first sitting during which it directed substituted service on Governor Bello adjourned sitting to May 6, this year.
The three-man tribunal has Justice Halilu Yussuf as its chairman.