The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is plotting to influence the outcome of ongoing cases at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, who addressed newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, said the PDP was alerting Nigerians and the International Community of the shocking revelations, reports and allegations of plots by the APC, to influence the outcome of the Presidential election Petition currently pending before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
“The PDP also alerts of recent intimidation, harassment, threats and vicious attacks by APC leaders against Nigerian youths and eminent Nigerian personalities for speaking out against APC’s planned moves to install a government that does not enjoy the mandate of majority of Nigerians as expressed at the polling units,” he said.
“The alleged planned onslaught by APC leaders on eminent Nigerians and our democratic institutions, including the judiciary, stems from APC’s apprehension, given the weight of evidence against it as well as the continuing refusal by majority of Nigerians to accept the outcome of the flawed Presidential election.
“There are apprehensions in the public space, having regards to the reputation of certain individuals within the highest level of the APC, who have demonstrated capacity and proclivity to compromise democratic institutions in our country.
“It will be recalled that on May 5, 2023, our party raised alarm over the massively condemned comments by the APC presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu at the commissioning of some judiciary projects in Port-Harcourt Rivers State, wherein he attempted to corrupt, cultivate and patronise the judiciary.
“More alarming are allegations in the public space of attempts by certain APC leaders to compromise the judiciary with heavy financial inducement and to orchestrate trumped-up allegations of impropriety against judicial officers.
“The PDP calls on the APC and its leaders to immediately come clean and publicly address Nigerians and the world on these disturbing allegations and revelations which are already in the public domain.
“Further to this is the provocative resort by the APC and its leaders to threaten Nigerians with treason for speaking out against the manipulations of our democratic processes by the APC.
“The bizarre response by INEC, which is an umpire that ought to be independent, to the petition of the PDP and our candidate, Atiku Abubakar, requesting for the dismissal of our petition, is further evidence of the complicity, corruption and compromise of INEC by the APC.
However, in response to PDP, the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN, accused the PDP of resorting to cheap blackmail and reverse psychology in its bid to hoodwink Nigerians into aligning with its petition at the Presidential Election Tribunal.