TRIBUNAL'S JUDGMENTS HAVE ABSOLVED US, SAYS KWARA PDP

By NBF News

The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said the judgments of the National Assembly/House of Assembly Election Petition, sitting in Ilorin on the two petitions filed against the electoral victory of Senator Bukola Saraki, have absolved the party and its leadership of any wrong doing during the April 2011 general elections in the state.

The Publicity Secretary of PDP in the state, Alhaji Mas'ud Adebimpe stated this in an interview with the Daily Sun in Ilorin, saying the judgments delivered by the tribunal last Friday and Wednesday respectively on the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) petitions against Saraki's election, 'confirm our earlier position that the ACN was nothing but a noise maker and bundle of propagandists.'

According to him, 'the judgments further confirm the popularity and acceptability of the party by the good people of Kwara State but exposes the emptiness, propagandist and the false alarm machinery of ACN on the outcome of the elections in the state.'

Adebimpe was elated that ACN was unable to prove and substantiate its allegations of massive rigging, thuggery and other alleged irregularities during last general elections in the state before the tribunal. He added that, 'the PDP on behalf of its leadership rejoices and congratulates Kwarans for their steadfastness, support and belief in the leadership of our great party. Now that the coast is clear that the party of your choice is in the saddle, let us work together in the interest of our people.

'It is, however, pertinent at this point to call on our brothers and sisters who were deceived into believing that ACN has something good to offer to the good people of Kwara that with this judgment, as delivered by the tribunal, which dismissed the ACN petition in its entirety owing to inability to prove beyond reasonable doubt all their allegations of irregularities, intimidation, harassments and ballot box stuffing was a clear manifestation that ACN was a mere opportunist which has nothing to offer this great state and it should be discarded.

'As a party, the PDP would continue to justify the confidence reposed in it and protect jealously the free mandate given it to lead this great state to the next level under our committed and honest Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.'