Against the background of the criticism that has greeted the Supreme Court judgement on the removal of the Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha, the Akwa Ibom. State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party has described the ruling as a great rape on democracy.
Addressing party supporters after a peaceful protest in Uyo, Paul Ekpo, chairman of the party in the state urged the judiciary to live above board being the last hope of the common man.
“This is a rape of our democracy. I want to say as a sister state, we share in their grief, we share in their pains, we share in their agony and we are mourning along with them.
‘’Our prayer is that democracy must be sustained. The judgement is totally condemned and the judiciary should not be compromised , and we share in the pains and agony of the Imo State chapter of our great party.
I thank you for a peaceful protest and let me assure you that the decision of the party at the state would be conveyed to the leadership of the party at the national.’’
In his speech, National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem, expressed rude shock over the judgement, stating that it has no judicial precedent as it was the first time the apex court was delivering such judgement without any legal principle.
According to him, the country has moved into totalitarian rule, adding that all democratic institutions have been compromised alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission has become an arm of the government.
He said the judgement did not stand on any known legal principle pointing out that the former Chief Justice of Nigeria was unlawfully sacked from office to pave way for the removal of the Imo state governor.
‘’ In 2015, we voluntarily as a political party after 16 years surrendered power to the APC . Since that day Nigeria has gone into descent of misrule. We are gradually moving into totalitarianism and autocratic rule. Today, all institutions of democracy in Nigeria have been compromised.
‘’We see INEC becoming an arm of APC in all the election it has conducted. We have seen the judiciary being emasculated. The judicial that represents an institution of democracy all over the world has been compromised in Nigeria. What happened on January 14, in the Supreme Court is not surprise to anybody. We recall that the CJN Walter Onnoghen was unlawfully removed from office preparatory to what happened on the 14 of January’’, he said.
He expressed dismay that of the 388 polling units in which votes were added to the APC governorship, the PDP was not deemed to have scored a single vote.
All others who spoke at the rally including the youth and women leaders condemned the judgement saying they want to check a repeat of such a “dastardly act.”
ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo
