Posted by In light of the recent decisions made by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and the Katsina State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, the PDP in Katsina State has voiced its dissatisfaction.
Former 2023 Katsina PDP Campaign Council Chairman and current senator, Umar Ibrahim Sauri, led the party’s harsh criticism of the “misplacement of justice.”
Senator Sauri urged PDP supporters in Katsina State and across Nigeria to ignore the tribunals’ rulings, claiming that their decisions strayed too far from the norms of justice.
He compared the tribunal’s rulings to those of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which he said had misled the people of Nigeria.
The Senator was especially concerned with the tribunal’s decisions on the eligibility of Katsina PDP members based on their possession of primary school diplomas.
He contrasted this with a recent verdict on President Tinubu’s credentials, stating that they will pursue all legal options to dispute what they saw as unjust decisions.
Both Aminu Ahmadu Chindo (PDP, Katsina Central Federal Constituency) and Ismail Dalha (APC, Kankia/Kusada/Ingawa Federal Constituency) had their victories in the House of Representatives overturned by the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Katsina, presided over by Hon. Justice O. Ogunfowora.
They were disqualified because it was suspected that they had presented fake diplomas.
In addition, Senator Sauri stated that the appellate court’s justices, including Justice Tsammani, had pledged to make decisions based on the evidence presented rather than legal technicalities.
In spite of this, he claimed that “these assurances remained unfulfilled, with judgments seemingly swaying towards personal interests.”
The Senator called this a “rape of democracy” and expressed concern about the long-term effects of setting such a dangerous precedent.
Senator Sauri voiced concerns about Nigeria’s democracy, saying that the current electoral process appeared to be excessively influenced by the ruling government, INEC, security services, and the judiciary.
His final words were a prayer for divine intervention: “May Allah deliver Nigeria, Nigerians, and democracy.”