Imo PDP to protest supreme court judgment in Abuja

Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, has asked its members and those he described as lovers of democracy to take to the streets of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Monday 19, January to protest against the Supreme Court’s Tuesday verdict on the Imo State governorship election tussle.

The apex court recently sacked Chief Emeka Ihedioha as the state governor.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier declared Ihedioha, the candidate of the PDP, the winner of the March 2019 governorship election in the state.

However, the Supreme Court ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to him and issue a new one to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who it said was the duly elected governor of the state.

The court’s decision had attracted criticisms from public commentators, politicians and the PDP among others.

The party however took its opposition to the verdict a niche further on Saturday when its National Organising Secretary, Col Austin Akobundu (retd.), in a statement made available to journalists, conveyed the approval of the party’s National Executive Committee as directed by the National Chairman, Uche Secondus, for the protest to hold in Abuja.

According to Akobundu, the planned protest will avail the party the opportunity to register its displeasure against the apex court’s judgment and the current state of affairs in Nigeria.

He said the protest would take off from the party’s complex, popularly called Legacy House at Maitama, Abuja by 9am.

Akobundu said, “In line with the approval of the National Executive Committee of our great party, the National Chairman has directed that a peaceful, civil and non-violent protest be organised in the FCT to register the displeasure of the party against the current state of affairs in the country, especially the miscarriage of justice of the Supreme Court against the lawfully elected governor of Imo State.

“This is a clarion call to all lovers of democracy as we join hands to save our dear nation.

“God bless the Peoples Democratic Party. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”