A group of indigenous rights activists has drawn the attention of the Supreme Court to the need to stand its ground and not yield to the blackmail of a few persons who want the apex court to upturn its judgement that gave victory to Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Governor of Imo State.
The group of activists include Peoples Alliance for Indigenous Rights (PAIR); Society for Enduring Economic Democracy (SEED); and Initiative for Democratic Enthronement Action (IDEA); represented by Emmanuel Chukwudi – PAIR; Nze Chukwuma- SEED; and Musa Attah – IDEA.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the conduct of last year’s gubernatorial poll.
With Ihedioha’s legal team mounting a challenge to have the Supreme Court reverse its judgement, the group of rights activists lamented that the right to protest has become “a dangerous enterprise as these persons have taken it upon themselves to decide what the LAW IS!”
The Supreme Court has set Tuesday to review the judgement, however, the group declared at a press briefing in Abuja in Sunday that “not all persons will be happy at every judicial pronouncements, but to attempt to insist and perjure the Hon. Justices of the apex court through deliberate blackmail, name-calling and subterfuge is a dangerous precedent that should not be allowed to fester.
“If the opposition were to be true sports people, they should accept the decision of the Supreme Court as final in the interest of the state they claimed to want to serve.”
It added that while Imo State has remained peaceful since the Supreme Court judgement, “we will imagine that those who claimed that they want to serve the people are intent on causing public disharmony, promote dissention and encourage rebellion against not only a duly elected government, but to also disparage, impugn and cause the Hon. Justices of the apex court to be seen as enemies of the people.
“There is only ONE ENEMY; Those who are funding all sorts of campaigns to smear, tarnish and possibly overthrow social cohesion, damage economic prosperity and trample upon the rule of law.
“As the Supreme Court decides on the jejune appeal for a review of its decision, we implore the Hon. Justices to be careful not to set a dangerous precedent where all sorts of frivolous appeals will become the order of the day, wasting the Court’s time, taxpayers money and weigh down the system.
“The Hon. Justices have demonstrated only a few days ago that the law is no respecter of persons when just less than 7 hours to the swearing in of a new Bayelsa governor, it nullified their hard earned victory. That is courage! We expect no less that the hope that has berthed in Imo state will flourish, thrive and renew faith in governance by the Hon. Court standing firmly by its decision of January 14.”
