You’re intimidating judiciary  —  PDP blasts APC over its final address to Tribunal

The Peoples Democratic Party has described the written address by lawyers to President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) as a threat to the judiciary.

Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the lead counsel to the President and Vice-President, Kashim Shettima had in his final address to the PEPC told the court that any interpretation of the constitution that fails to recognise the Federal Capital Territory as 37th state could cause chaos and anarchy. 

Olaonipekun, therefore, urged the court to dismiss the petition of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party challenging the election of President Tinubu.

Reacting, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the comment is a move to intimidate the judiciary. 

Ologunagba in a statement said, “It is alarming and disturbing that the APC externalized to the public, their final written address in which they also threatened national peace if the Court upholds the clear provisions of Section 134 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) with regard to the mandatory and statutory requirements for which a Candidate in a Presidential election can be declared winner.”

“The threats, either through Counsel or officials of the APC is calculated to intimidate and harass the Judiciary and indeed Nigerians.”

He argued that the PDP believe that the intent of the APC is to blackmail the court and emasculate the independence of the judiciary to discharge its duties in accordance with the dictates of the law.