The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the on-going orchestrated
onslaught on the judiciary and officers in the sacred temple of justice
by the All Progressives Congress (APC) is an integral part of the larger
APC ideology which borders essentially on “the negation and destruction
of constitutional and democratic institutions in quest for an order
whose promise is doom for the nation.”
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa
Metuh, Sunday, said the ceaseless torrents of attacks and denigration of
the executive arm of federal government by the APC as well as the
legislative gerrymandering whose intention is to cause confusion in the
National Assembly and the renewed battle by the party on the judiciary
are concrete elements of political nihilism.
“Why is weird anarchism an option for the APC? Consistently, this party
has attacked and denigrated the executive and Nigerians excused it on
the desperation of a political party that claims an alternative. It then
took on the legislature where its crisis recipe in gerrymandering has
yielded no result. Now, the APC is on a renewed aggression on the
judiciary. Why is nihilism the APC preferred option?”
The statement further said it was unfortunate the APC was waging such a
battle whose tragic consequences on the institutions of democracy were
well known while at the same time jamming the political space with its
pretensions on democracy. “Wherever the APC is drawing this inspiration
or motivation is surely far from the continent of democracy and right
within the conclave of dictatorship. The APC is doing everything to
scuttle democracy,” the PDP argued.
The party further expressed worry that the frequent penchant of the APC
to blackmail judicial officers, paint them as inept and compromised
where it fails to secure its bidding and turn a defender of the same
institution when the reverse is the case, has been a running streak in
the APC whose component metamorphosis, the ACN denoted a chilling tale
of corrupt influence in the judicial victory of two governorship seats
in the South West .
The PDP added that the rush by the party to castigate the ruling of the
Federal High Court presided over by Justice Adeniyi Ademola on the
defection of some PDP members in the House of Representatives to the APC
as well as its scathing criticism of the National Judicial Council over
the suspension of the Chief Judge of Rivers State, clearly gave away the
simmering impatience of the APC with the democratic order.
“Nigerians had expected the acclaimed champions of democracy to
quietly exploit the appeal option instead of resorting to statements
meant to promote civil disobedience and lawlessness,” saying the latter
day attempt by the party to tone down its disdain for the judiciary by
blaming the media for what it called misrepresentation of Justice
Ademola’s judgement does not hold water .
“But the APC can still turn a new leaf by borrowing from the PDP. It is
not late. Our great party shall continue to uphold the sanctity of our
democratic institutions as it is incumbent on all who genuinely believe
in democracy to defend and promote it. The alternative is anarchy, the
route the APC appears decided on.”