The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday attacked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for alleging that it is seeking to influence the selection of Supreme Court justices that will decide the election case between President Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The PDP caucus in the House of Representatives had, on Thursday alleged that there were moves by the APC to get the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Tanko to sideline the most senior justices of the Supreme Court in the expected election petition panel.
The PDP caucuses claimed that since 1979, seniority had been the sole criteria in determining membership of presidential election appeal panels at the apex court. It said Justice Tanko was being pressed by the APC to abandon that convention.
But the APC reacted on Friday describint the PDP as irresponsible.
National publicity secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu said the claim by the PDP House of Representatives caucus that the ruling party was plotting to influence composition of justices for the appeal filed before the apex court by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar was unfounded.
Onilu in his response told our correspondence that the alarm raised by the main opposition party had since vindicated its stance that the PDP was irresponsible.
He said:”We do not want to be drawn into engaging PDP in their usual shenanigans. We have just raised an alarm that our democracy lacks responsible opposition. We thought by now the main concern of every lawmaker would be to focus on the national budget. We want to be engaged on the issues of governance. That is what touches on the interests of ordinary Nigerians. That’s the focus of APC administration.”
The PDP caucus in the House of Representatives, on Thursday, raised the alarm over the alleged plot by the APC to influence the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko in the selection of justices to hear the presidential election appeal.
In a statement jointly signed by the caucus leader, Hon Kingsley Chinda, deputy caucus leader, Hon Chukwuma Onyema, caucus whip, Hon Umar Barde and deputy caucus whip, Hon Muraina Ajibola, the caucus declared that throughout the 16 years of PDP’s rule, it never at any time dictated the selection of panel members to the Chief Justices.Tribune
