PDP hails court verdict on Rivers election result collation

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has hailed the Federal High Court for, according to the party, saving the nation’s democratic process by throwing out the suit by “anti-democratic forces working for the All Progressives Congress (APC), in their desperate plot to scuttle the collation of results of the March 9, 2019 Rivers State Governorship election.”

A statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the party in Abuja on Tuesday, described the ruling as well as the collation as the triumph of the will of the people of Rivers State, who it observed, freely gave their mandate to the PDP and its candidate, Governor Nyesom Wike.

The party noted that the sweeping victory being recorded by Governor Wike, even in areas hitherto considered as opposition fortresses, clearly exposed the reason behind APC’s desperation to scuttle the collation process.

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The statement added: “Moreover, the court ruling rekindles the hope by Nigerians on the capacity of the judiciary to uphold the will of the people, particularly, in the overall quest by Nigerians to reclaim the Presidential mandate, which they freely gave to the PDP Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at the February 23, 2019, Presidential polls.”

The PDP further noted that it has a water-tight case against the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Election Petition tribunal, “for which majority of Nigerians, across the board, are in a high spirit that the stolen mandate would be recovered at the Tribunal.”

The PDP, therefore, charged INEC to ensure that nothing encumbered the conclusion of the collation process and announcement of Governor Wike as the rightful winner of the Rivers governorship election.

The party also directed its members and supporters in Rivers State to continue to be at alert to forestall any attempt by anti-democratic forces, working for the APC, to disrupt the exercise.