PDP may petition NJC over Appeal Court judgment, says Uzor

… Insists party still in control of Delta Central<em

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State may petition the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the Appeal Court judgment that, a forthnight ago declared Obarisi Omo-Agege, the Labour Party (LP) candidate the duly elected senator for Delta Central Senatorial district.

Besides, the party said that despite the Appeal Court ruling, it was in total control of the politics of Delta Central and the State in general.

The Appeal Court in Benin City, Edo State, nullified the election of the senator representing Delta Central senatorial district in the Senate, Senator Ighoyota Amori of the PDP. The appellate court’s declaration of Omo-Agege as winner of the senatorial election threw PDP into a state of shock.

The chairman of PDP in the State, Chief Edwin Uzor who said it was normal to be shocked and saddened by such judgment, however disclosed that the issue was not over as the party was determined to take up the case to a higher level.

“Normally if a court unseat a serving senator, it must affect the area, that is certain but it is not over until it’s over, we have not given up on that issue, we have not given up.

“As far as Delta central senatorial district is concerned its not over yet because the judgment did not go down well with us. We are still waiting to get the full details of the judgment before we can know what to do,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.

He admitted that the party was not approaching another court but hinted rather that they would seek redress at the National Judicial Council to review the case.

His words: “We can not go to another court but NJC can review what they (Appeal Court) have done, because we at the PDP look at that judgment as a ‘karaka’ judgment. I don’t think that is from the real judiciary because Omo-Agege won in only one local government area; how can somebody who won in one local government area defeat the man who won in seven local government areas?”

Uzor lamented that the Appeal Court did not even direct that the parties involved should go back for a rerun, adding “we are not too comfortable with that judgment but I am convinced that it is not over until its over.”

Also, the PDP chairman insisted that the party has not lost ground or control of the politics in Delta Central senatorial district.

“PDP is in charge of Central. There is no doubt about that, we are still in charge till tomorrow. If you conduct any election in central PDP will win, again and again. We won before and we will continue to win there.

To buttress his argument, Uzor disclosed that the gubernatorial candidates of the two rival parties – the All Progressive Congress (APC) and LP lost in their areas in the last general elections, saying “They could not win in their areas, PDP defeated them in their areas.”

According to him, PDP was still united in the State, “very intact, influential and relevant to the people. We don’t have any problem, but you can not rule out some saboteurs, the gluttons and hungry ones who believe that once they jump ship and join opposition party, they would be made minister, they have forgotten that life is not so.”

He cautioned political parties that were receiving those that have defected to be weary because the persons would remain the bad eggs that they have been stressing that “what they have done to party A is what they will do to party B because they are the same person, they are not going to change.”

The PDP chairman also spoke on the Appeal Court judgment that upheld the election of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as Governor of Delta State noting that the appellate court decision upholding what the Election Tribunal did was a very fair judgment and justice for all.

“That is how it should be because there is no area we did not get to during the elections. We campaigned, we worked very hard, people voted us into power plainly, and there is no mago mago at all. What the Appeal Court upheld is the peoples’ desire and mandate given to PDP and that is why everybody is praising the judgment and I know at the Supreme Court that is still what is going to happen,” he stated.