Your comment on Imo North by-election diversionary, PDP tells Buni

Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described recent comment by the Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim National Caretaker Committee and Extra-Ordination Convention Planning, Mai Mala Buni, as diversionary, volte-face and calculated at the Supreme Court.

In a statement issued yesterday in Owerri by Publicity Secretary of the party, Ogu Bundu Nwadike, it said Buni’s comment on Frank Ibezim’s disqualification in the Imo North Senatorial District by-election saga, was inappropriate and unbefitting.

“The Imo State PDP’s attention has been drawn to Buni’s sudden outburst at the Supreme Court on the disqualification of Frank Ibezim as APC candidate in the Imo North Senatorial by-election for perjury.

“And our party has concluded that APC’s inappropriate and unbefitting comments on the matter are unnecessary diversionary volte-face by boastful electoral bandits.

“We feel that the APC is on its mission to intimidate and undermine the nation’s judiciary by embarrassing and harassing the highest court in the land,” the statement reads.

It stressed that the accusation against the Supreme Court was also unfounded, adding: “Our party declare that APC’s accusations that PDP was conniving with the courts through secret meetings are unfounded and baseless, as no normal person would associate PDP with a suit in which it is not a party.

“Our party notes that the matter before the Supreme Court is on the disqualification of Frank Ibezim, one of the two persons that have been parading themselves as APC aspirants for the by-election.

“The PDP has no interest or involvement in the matter, as it is neither the plaintiff nor the defendant. Therefore, Buni’s accusation has no bearing and should be disregarded and ignored.”

He pointed out that the PDP recalled that the matter that was brought before the Supreme Court had to do with perjury by Frank Ibezim, who the courts confirmed submitted questionable certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The matter has passed through the High Court and the Court of Appeal before it got to the Apex Court, after the lower courts ruling that Ibezim committed felony. It will, therefore, be the onus of APC to prove how PDP got involved in a matter that is purely an APC issue.

“The APC will need to prove how and why PDP would hold secret meetings with Supreme Court officials to decide a criminal act that has been underscored by the courts,” he added.

It also accused the APC of debasing democracy, adding: “The APC has debased democracy in Nigeria, polluted the electoral system, corrupted the judiciary, threatened the peace and progress of Nigeria by its overt romance with terrorists and bandits, and in the process severely endangered national unity.”