Zamfara: APC accuses PDP of attempt to intimidate Supreme Court

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declaration that the Supreme Court has no option than to dismiss the pending application by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to review its judgment on the Zamfara State Governorship election matter amounts to yet another effort by the opposition party to intimidate the Apex Court, the APC has said.

In making this statement in a statement on Sunday, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, described the PDP’s declaration as criminal and irresponsible.

“This is criminal and irresponsible for a party that had once ran the country for an uninterrupted period of 16 years. Being voted out of power for maladministration should not make the PDP to seek to bring the country down by taking actions or making statements that are targeted at undermining a critical state institution like the judiciary.

“PDP has unfortunately come to be known for deploying blackmail and intimidation of state institutions as a strategy to circumvent or derail processes and procedures that are at variance with any of its inordinate interests.

“Unfortunately, they have failed woefully on the Zamfara matter, even as we reiterate that PDP is not a party to our intra-party matter before the Supreme Court.

“There is a world of difference between the Supreme Court review sought on the Zamfara matter and the matters that the Supreme Court dismissed regarding Imo and Bayelsa states.

“Unlike what happened in Bayelsa and Imo, in Zamfara, the Supreme Court is not being requested to review its decision. Far from it. The unique thing about Zamfara’s case at the Supreme Court is that the APC is not attacking the judgement of their Lordships but only praying that they vary their consequential order for the purpose of justice.

“That is where the PDP, who not being a party in the matter, is scared as it found itself to have immensely benefitted from our intra-party squabbles, by reaping where they never sowed.

“The Supreme Court had earlier affirmed that it has the powers to review its own decisions and that it is not averse to correcting error when that is noticed or when it is brought to its attention,” the statement said.

Making reference to a landmark lead judgment delivered by Chukwudifu Oputa JSC in Adegoke Motors Vs. Adesanya, the APC said the Justice considered the powers of the Supreme Court (as the final Court in the land) to review its earlier decisions and said:

“We are final not because we are infallible; rather we are infallible because we are final. Justices of this Court are humanbeings, capable of erring. It will certainly be shortsighted arrogance not to accept this obvious truth. It is also true that this Court can do inestimable good through its wise decisions. Similarly, the Court can do incalculable harm through its mistakes. When therefore it appears to learned counsel that any decision of this Court has been given per incuriam, such counsel should have the boldness and courage to ask that such a decision be over-ruled. This Court has the power to overrule itself (and has done so in the past) for it gladly accepts that it is far better to admit an error than to persevere in error.”

On this ground of this, the ruling party is saying that the Supreme Court should ignore the PDP and focus on delivery of justice over the Zamfara State case.

“We call on the Supreme Court to focus on dispensing justice in the case of Zamfara State as well as other matters before it and ignore the irresponsible ranting of the PDP.

“Coronavirus literally shut down the Nigerian Government on Monday with the suspension of the weekly federal executive council meeting.

The suspension will be “until further notice”.