The Ahmed Markarfi-led faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, on Wednesday, raised the alarm over plans to sideline Mr Eyitayo Jegede from participating in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Honourable Banji Okunomo, who called the Court of Appeal to conduct investigation into the allegation by the petitioner.
Okunomo said investigating the allegation “will serve as a deterrent to others in that category.”
It also called “on the President of the Court of Appeal to conduct full scale investigation to ascertain the veracity of the grievous allegations of corruption by the petitioner and bring them to book, if allegations are found to be untrue.
”We also wish to call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to live above board and be father to all.
“He should be mindful of certain forces within his government who are using government institutions against the people of the country by perpetrating antidemocratic tendencies that are injurious to the survival of our nation.
Okunomo said that the “sequence of events in recent times has revealed the grand plan by the some elements within the ruling APC government in Nigeria in active connivance with their collaborators who are fifth columnists within the PDP to mortgage the political fortunes of the PDP completely ahead of the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State.
“This underscores why, defiling common logic and democratic initiative, the desperation behind various devices aimed at undercutting the people of Ondo State by antics injurious to democratic ideals and serving as fuel for crisis of imaginable proportion.
“To prosecute this hatchet job which aims to willy-nilly force the unpopular choice of the APC against the wishes of the people of Ondo State, the dramatis personae in the ruling party in Nigeria did not find it difficult to enlist the controversial businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim and his notorious ally, Biyi Poroye to prosecute this ungodly plan.
“Whereas Jimoh Ibrahim had in June this year declared his membership of the Accord Party, the platform he intended to use to contest the November 26 poll, his stooge and partner in crime, Biyi Poroye, who now parades himself as a factional chairman of the Ibrahim group, was a major player at the special congress held early this year to elect the Fabo-led exco serving not only as delegate but also as one of those who moved the motions for nomination of party officials at the congress.
“Let it also be remembered that the same Biyi Poroye was the electoral officer that returned the three-man adhoc delegates for Okitipupa local government preparatory to the congress. We have these on tape and files.
“The role of INEC in the entire controversies surrounding the PDP cannot be understated.
“The electoral umpire has not decently portrayed itself as an unbiased umpire in recent time stemming from inconsistent decisions capable of setting our hard earned democracy on fire if it continues in this trend.
Okunomo noted that all efforts to secure justice from the Panel of the Court of Appeal were frustrated leading to the handing off of the judges from the matter because of the petition written against the judges by Jimoh Ibrahim and Biyi Poroye.
“We had expected the panel to continue the hearings of the matters concurrently with full investigation of alleged corruption levied against the panel of Judges by the NJC.
“This should have been the needful especially that the petitioner decided to take to his heel after brief appearance in the Court premises in the morning together with his baron, owing to his inability to stand by his petition.
“Another reason why the panel should have continued with the hearings is the fact that counsel to the petitioner, Dr Alex Iziyon, did not only deny knowledge or disassociate him from the petition; he also described his client, Biyi Poroye, as Judas Iscariot in the open court yesterday.
“If and when a new panel is constituted to undertake the hearings of the appeals, how can we be so sure that another blasphemous petition of another dimension will not be concocted by these same set of crooks to stall the wheel of Justice?
“The President of the Court of Appeal is hereby urged to immediately constitute fresh panel to continue with the hearings of the appeals in the interest of peace in Ondo State, sanctity, integrity and independence of the Judiciary and above all the survival of our democracy.”
Okunomo said that “Undue interferences and manipulation of institutions of government against the will of the people is ,no doubt, a direct invitation to anarchy.”
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