Imo: PDP Is Having A Taste Of Their Own Medicine – Activist

Zik Gbemre, national coordinator of Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC), says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should not be crying and making a fuss for having a taste of their own medicine in Imo state. 

Gbemre said the main opposition party was only having a taste of the kind of politics it laid down since 1999 in the country.

He spoke in reaction to the recent protest by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Judgements of the Nigerian Supreme Court in favour of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) in Imo state.

“I do not think the PDP should be crying and making a fuss for having a taste of their own medicine. While I believe that in any democratic setting, there is the right to protest, as long as such protests are not violent but peaceful”, he said.

The activist, however, said that the two major political parties (PDP and APC) in the country have grossly abused the rule of law, Executive Powers, and the Power of the judiciary at different times.

According to him, “During the 16 years of PDP-led Federal Government, political candidates of the then opposition party of the APC, hardly won in election matters in court, just as it is now as relates to election petition court cases involving the now PDP opposition.

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Citing Delta as a classical example, he said “We saw all of this in Delta State; where Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, as the opposition gubernatorial candidate, who was said to have clearly won all past governorship elections in the State. But in all the election cases, none were in favour of Ogboru.

He maintained that even the APC, is more liberal, in using their ‘Federal might’, than “what we had during the time of the PDP”.

Gbemre who spoke in a statement on Wednesday said, “We are certain, without any iota of doubt, that if the 2019 governorship election of Delta State between Ogboru and Okowa were to be under the Federal might of the PDP, and Ogboru was to be in PDP while Okowa was in APC, Okowa would have lost the election in both polls and in the Tribunal/Court of Appeal/Supreme Court.

“The truth is that the APC Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari is more liberal in using the Federal Government’s might in election cases in the courts at all levels.

“It is no news that the Nigerian Judiciary has been turned into a cash and carry arm of government right from 1999 till date.

“These things that we see happening today, did not just start all of a sudden. The seeds were sown by the PDP, and now, they are having a taste of that fruit.

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“I am not the spokesperson for the APC led administration of Buhari, neither am I speaking for, nor am I a member of the APC. But I am just expressing what, and how the PDP started all of this shame on the nation, which obviously has no end.

“Still on Delta State as a good example. Everybody knows that Great Ogboru won most of the governorship elections in Delta State, but he was denied the seat of power of the Delta State Government House, simply due to the abuse of power, and ‘the money politics’ by the PDP.

“Another example is the fact that, all the Council Chairmen and Councilors of all the Local Government Councils in Delta State, are all PDP because Delta State has been under the grips and control of the PDP. Come to think of it. Who is protesting in Delta State? No one!

“I am not supporting the corrupted Nigerian Judiciary. But the PDP has no justification whatsoever to protest against the Supreme Court Judgements, Gbemre said.

According to him, the PDP did worst things during their reign at the Federal level, far more than the APC have done.

“Agreed that two wrongs cannot make something right, but they should not be crying foul when their hands have never been clean, he added..

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Continuing, the activist said, “When you start war, you might not know how to end that war. No amount of protest by PDP that will upturn the decisions of the Supreme Court.

“What the country desperately needs is to fix the entire sectors of the nation, including judiciary, education, transport, health, power, housing, you name it. And not all these noises they are making because of losing out in the elections and decisions of the court. These are the issues they should be protesting about, and not who wants to grab power”, he concluded.