PDP leaders hand in petition to US embassy and UK high commission in Abuja

LEADERS of Nigeria's main opposition the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have held a protest outside the US and UK diplomatic missions in Abuja to express their displeasure with the deteriorating security situation in the country.

Over the last week, Nigeria's federal government has had to concede that it has lost control of the security situation in the country, with President Muhammadu Buhari accepting that the matter has got out of hand. President Buhari recently said that he is surprised that Boko Haram for instance is still operating, as he thought the sect had been defeated.

With even the police announcing that they are overwhelmed by the situation, earlier this week, the National Assembly called on President Buhari to sack Nigeria's service chiefs. Stepping up the pressure on the government, the PDP leaders marched on the US embassy and the UK high commission in Abuja this morning, where they handed in a letter of protest.

PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, said that President Buhari has lost control of the security of the nation, reiterating calls that he should resign. Prince Secondus also alleged that the judiciary and the legislature have been caged, saying that the January 14 Supreme Court judgement which sacked Emeka Ihedioha as the Imo State governor should be reviewed.

The PDP petition part read: “This is to bring to your notice and that of the United States of America, a serious case of judicial compromise and deliberate perversion of justice by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which is now threatening our democracy as well as the peace, stability and corporate existence of our dear nation. You may recall that our party, the PDP, the leading opposition party in Nigeria, has been raising issues regarding the continuous interference and arm-twisting of the judiciary by the executive arm and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to influence the outcome of election petitions in various courts, annul elections won by our party and transfer victory to the APC.

“Your Excellency, it may have come to your notice that there have been serious protests in various states of our nation threatening the stability of our nation over a recent judgment of the Supreme Court. On the l4th of January 2020, the Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Tanko, in a most bizarre judgment and against the dictates of all laws and judicial practice overturned the Imo state governorship election clearly won by Emeka lhedioha/PDP, who had since been sworn in and handed the state over to the APC and its candidate, Senator Hope Uzodimma.

“It is instructive to inform you that this perversion of justice has already sparked off protests in various parts of our country and has become a clear threat to peace, unity and stability of our nation and the survival of our democracy. We reject the judgment with a clear call for a judicial review and ultimate reversal of the judgment by the Supreme Court.

 “The Tribunal did not even open the bag as there was no basis to do so. It is one of the great wonders of the world how the Supreme Court opened the bag, counted the results and added them to only the APC candidate. Moreover, is the Supreme Court saying that all the votes from the alleged 388 polling units were for the APC alone in an election that was contested by about 70 political parties?"