From Willy Punvwet Lafia.
The Senior Special Assistant to Nasarawa State Governor on Public Affairs,has expressed concern over the recent outing by a group of individuals suspected to have been hired by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to stage “an unwarranted protest against the recent verdict of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja.”
The Appeal court set aside the split judgement of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in the State and affirmed Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule as the lawfully elected Governor of the State.
In a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Lafia, he described such a action as a show of shame.
The governor’s aide explained that the March 18th, 2023 governorship election in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Sule as the duly elected Governor of the State “is a true reflection of the popular mandate freely given to him by the electorate in the state.”
He maintained that it is as a result of this wishful mandate that has made the electorate remain firmly in support of the Governor and refused to be invited by the drama being staged and managed by the PDP supporters in the state.
Mr. Ahemba stated that the stage-managed protest against the Appeal Court judgement by a group of sponsored individuals, is a calculated attempt to discredit “courageous, sound and firm judgement of the Appeal Court”.
According to the governor’aide, the protest is to blackmail the nation’s judiciary for choosing to look at the appeal brought before it by the Governor on its merit rather than primordial sentiments.
The Senior Special Assistant said the call on the International Community to intervene in the internal affairs of the state and tagging of some ethnic groups as foreigners is laughable, adding that such utterances had further exposed PDP of its ethnic agenda in the politics of Nasarawa state.
He reminded the PDP leaders that the state is highly diverse in terms of ethnic and religious beliefs, adding that no ethnic group or religion had the capacity to produce the Governor of the State without the support of the others.
He described as unfortunate, the action of the opposition party to rely solely on external forces to acquire power, having been rejected by the electorate at the governorship poll.
According to him, it is now in public domain, the role being played by some highly placed individuals, including a retired army general, who has been working with the PDP to truncate democracy in the state.
He added that state government remained resolute and very optimistic that, with the facts of the matter, professionalism and fairness being demonstrated by the nation’s judiciary in the dispensation of justice, “the will of the electorate will prevail at the end of the legal battle.’
He commended the people of the state, especially the teeming supporters and well-wishers of governor Sule, for the show of maturity and urged them to remain law-abiding, no matter the provocative actions and utterances of the PDP agents in the state.
“As a responsible government, the security of lives and property, as well as the welfare of the citizenry will continue to top the priority the administration”,he assured.
Efforts by our correspondent to get the reaction of the PDP chairman in the state, Mr.Francis Orogu,proved abortive as he did not respond to several calls put to him.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
