The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State on Sunday alleged that it has uncovered plot by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to disguised under various pseudo names to stage a violent protest in the preceding days of the Supreme Court judgement between Barr. Emmanuel Jime and Governor Samuel Ortom.
Jime of APC had dragged Ortom of the PDP, who was declared as governor by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2019 gubernatorial election before the Supreme Court after loosing his case at the appeal court and the election tribunal.
Acting state Publicity Secretary of APC, James Ornguga, in a statement made available to our correspondent in Makurdi, alleged that, “the objective of the protest, we have gathered is to blackmail the Panel of Supreme Court Justices, create a tensed atmosphere in the state.
“And court unmerited sympathy in line with calls by the National Chairman of their party, Prince Uche Secondus who has been lampooning the Supreme Court and alleging a travesty of Justice since his party lost Imo, a state PDP never won ab initio.”
In a swift reaction, however, the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, said the allegations were part of the antics of the APC in the state to digress its (PDP) purposeful leadership in the state from attending to serious state matters.
“Benue PDP states with emphasis here that it has no need for any protest in Makurdi or anywhere regarding the matter of Jime’s legal challenge to Gov. Ortom’s victory at the 2019 polls; as such we are not sponsoring anyone to protest anywhere.
“Yet, as was clearly stated by the Benue PDP State Chairman, Sir John Ngbede, when the Benue matter at the Supreme Court was adjourned, members of our great party in the state have been oriented not to be distracted by the very obvious and commonplace antics of the opposition,” Bemgba stated.
Meanwhile, the APC hopes that the apex judgement of next week favours its candidate, Jime, to enable the party gladly seize power from the Ortom-led administration and provide what they described as purpose-driven leadership that will rescue Benue from the mannacles of deliberate underdevelopment.
The PDP, on the other hand, maintained that it would await the decision of the Supreme Court on the Benue governorship matter fully conscious of the solidity and validity of the victory won by their party and her candidates at the 2019 elections.
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