Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its attempts to smear the party and the judiciary ahead of the ruling of the election petition tribunal on the National Assembly election of Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency.
APC Chairman, Jonathan Amos, faulted claims by the PDP which alleged that APC plans to subvert justice in the petition filed by former speaker and PDP candidate in the election, Kombowei Benson, against Preye Oseke who was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Amos speaking on the allegations during an interactive session with newsmen in Yenagoa, said the PDP allegations are “wild and unfounded,” adding that Benson was rejected by the electorate in Southern Ijaw.
He warned his PDP counterpart, Moses Cleopas, to desist from making unfounded allegations, stressing that the PDP should allow the petition before the elections tribunal to run its course and be treated on its merit, rather than deliberately attempting to pre-empt the judgement.
He said: “These allegations are a product of the PDP chairman’s imagination, perhaps hallucination.
“The PDP’s candidate in the House of Representatives election, Benson, lost to our candidate, Oseke.
“Every true son and daughter of Southern Ijaw can attest to the fact that Konbowei’s 12 years sojourn at the House of Assembly was a disaster and had no bearing on the people of Southern Ijaw.
“The people of Southern Ijaw rejected him at the poll, because he failed them woefully.
“We don’t need to subvert justice in order to affirm our victory, the facts we laid before the election tribunal speaks volume and we believe our victory would be upheld by the tribunal.
“As much as we would want to be confident in the incorruptibility of the eminent jurists at the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal, we would at this juncture appeal to the conscience of the eminent jurists, to resist any attempt by the PDP and its agents to have them compromised.”