SACKING YOU WON’T LEAD TO ANARCHY, LP REPLIES TINUBU

Sacking You Won’t Lead To Anarchy, LP Replies Tinubu

ABUJA – The Labour Party (LP) has replied a recent comment credited to President Bola Tinubu, where he reportedly warned the Presidential Election Pe­tition Court (PEPC) that sacking him from office for not attaining 25 percent votes in the FCT could lead to anarchy.

The opposition party in a statement by its acting National Publicity Secre­tary, Obiora Ifoh, told President Tinu­bu that “if there were no absurdity, chaos, and anarchy when they (APC) forced their way into power, Nigeria will still witness peace when they are eventually evicted from power.” ­

LP also condemned the leak of the president’s final written address against its petition to the media, insisting that the address to the tribunal was meant to be in the exclusive custody of the court.

According to the opposi­tion party, the act was a sign of desperation, as the LP maintained that it was not sure “the reason behind this act,” and “will however be careful not to term the action as sub-judice.”

The statement noted fur­ther that “the Labour Party has taken note of the news making the round purported­ly from the leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where he al­legedly warned the Presiden­tial Election Petition Court (PREPEC), that interpreting the law as provided for in the constitution on the 25% of lawful votes cast in the Fed­eral Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, could lead to absurdity, chaos, anarchy and alteration of the very intention of the legislature.”

While warning the APC against mounting pressure on the judiciary to see the devel­opments from its lens, Ifoh in the statement stated, “We insist that no amount of threat from the APC on the judges in the tri­bunal can change the processes and requirements that the law has put in place. It must be fol­lowed and that is the position of the Labour Party.

“We are worried that the statement which formed part of his submissions and was contained in his final written address against the Labour Party’s petition pending at the PREPEC, and meant to be in the exclusive custody of the court was leaked to the media. We still do not know the rea­son behind this act of desper­ation, even when the matter is still pending in court. We will however be careful not to term the action as Sub-judice.
“Having said that, the La­bour Party thinks that the statement was unnecessary since the matter is already before the court, and going ahead to pontificate on it could be construed as inter­ference in the duties and re­sponsibilities of the judiciary.

“The truth of the matter is that there are no sentiments when it comes to matters of law. The law is the law and once the law has stipulated the manner and how a matter must be carried out, it must follow that pattern.

“If the law has stated the requirement that a presiden­tial candidate must meet be­fore he can be declared, there is no shortcut to it. Therefore, if the constitution which is the ground norm of the law in Nigeria has stated clearly that you must score at least 25 percent in FCT before the president can be declared, anything short of that cannot remedy it.

“It is on this note that we request that caution must be applied by the camp of the APC in its subtle but very clear pressure believed to be mounted on the judiciary to see the developments from its lens.

“We insist that no amount of threat from the APC on the judges in the tribunal can change the processes and re­quirements that the law has put in place. It must be fol­lowed and that is the position of the Labour Party.

“We recall very clearly a mild but stern threat during the ‘Democracy Day’ speech made by the APC-led admin­istration where it stated em­phatically that ‘It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated.’

“We noted then that the warning appeared threat­ening enough as it sounded more totalitarian but today we are confronted with a sterner approach to whipping the judiciary into a pathway, a development if allowed un­challenged will spell doom for the nation.

“We see in that statement a call on the armies of the APC to awaken to their sworn vow to return to the trenches just the way they unleashed terror on our supporters during the February election.

“The same thugs that per­petrated absurdity, chaos, and anarchy and who were used to alter the will of Nigerians are still very present and willing to do the will of their paymasters.

“Let me assure the APC and their leaders that if there were no absurdity, chaos, and anarchy when they forced their way into power, Nigeria will still witness peace when they are eventually evicted from power,” Labour Party insisted.